One of the United State’s best and highest-paid high school basketballers, Mikey Williams, was arrested on Thursday in San Diego on a charge of assault with a deadly weapon.
Williams was set to attend Memphis next season and is ranked 34th in ESPN’s list of the top 100 recruits in the 2023 class. He was released just after midnight on Friday after paying a $50,000 bond and will appear in court on Thursday.
According to police reports, there are multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon against the 18-year-old, but he is likely to face one charge, according to San Diego Sheriff’s Department Lt. Gavin Lanning.
Williams has allegedly violated California penal code Chapter 9, Section 245(a)(2), which involves “any person who commits an assault upon the person of another with a firearm” – a charge that carries a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison.
Friday’s incident report details that there was an argument at a house on Monday night and multiple people were asked to leave the residence.
“Five people got into a car and as they were driving away, shots were fired,” according to the sheriff’s department incident report. “The car was hit, but no one was hurt.”
There were three minors in the car that was shot at.
The report doesn’t name Williams as the shooter but he has been charged with several counts of assault with a deadly weapon. Plus, the sheriff’s department said they won’t release Williams’ booking photo because by policy it only releases those kinds of photos when “when there is an immediate threat to public safety.”
Williams is one of the most popular high school hoopers in America, and he had nearly 4 million Instagram followers when he committed to Memphis in November and has more than 2 million TikTok followers currently.
Mikey Williams has announced his 2023 commitment to Memphis on his Instagram 👀 @SCNext
(h/t @619PRESIDENTIAL) pic.twitter.com/8vGyBEjqbh
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 6, 2022
In 2019, He scored a career-high 77 points, including nine three-pointers and the next year, led the Cougars to the CIF-SDS Division III title.
In 2021, Williams became the first American high school basketball player to sign a deal with a global footwear company (Puma).
The 6’2″ guard received offers from several top colleges but committed to Memphis’ program and is expected to be a key part of the Tigers team, though things might be different now following his arrest.
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