Emoni Bates. Joe Rondone/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

EMU's Emoni Bates charged with two felonies for gun possession

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 9/19/22

Emoni Bates was arrested after being pulled over while driving on Sunday night and is being charged with two felonies related to gun possession.

Bates, who was one of the top basketball recruits in the country, was pulled over in Superior Township, Mich. on Sunday night after allegedly failing to stop at an intersection. The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office said officers discovered a firearm in the car.

Bates was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and for altering ID marks on a firearm. Both are felonies.

BREAKING: EMU basketball player Emoni Bates has been charged with 2 firearm felonies. pic.twitter.com/EXBj42L2zQ

— Brett Kast WXYZ (@brettkast) September 19, 2022

Bates was arraigned on Monday and pleaded not guilty. The Eastern Michigan standout is due in court on Oct. 6.

Bates’ attorney says the forward was borrowing someone else’s car.

“There’s way more to the story. He borrowed someone’s car, was pulled over and a gun was located in the car,” the attorney said.

Spoke to Steve Haney, lawyer for Emoni Bates. He told ESPN that Bates arrest last night came after a routine traffic stop when he was driving a borrowed car that had a gun in.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 19, 2022

Bates was the No. 1-rated recruit in the 2022 class until reclassifying to the 2021 class, where he remained a top-five recruit. But Bates struggled at Memphis last year under Penny Hardaway and left the program midseason. The Michigan native announced in June that he was transferring to Eastern Michigan.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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