No charges yet for UCLA football prospects, including Gardena teen

From City News Service:

The District Attorney's Office punted today on prosecuting three ex-UCLA football prospects and referred the case to the City Attorney's Office, which will decide if misdemeanor theft charges are warranted.

Paul Richardson, Shaquille Richardson and Joshua Shirley, all 18, were arrested June
23 in connection with allegations that they stole another student's purse.

UCLA police said officers responded to a theft report in Hendrick Hall dining area,
adjacent to the lockers used for storing belongings while dining, and took the trio
into custody.

The three -- who were incoming freshman -- were released from jail early the next
day, dismissed June 29 from the team and barred from enrolling at the university for
the fall semester.

"The three young men know they made a terrible mistake," UCLA head football coach
Rick Neuheisel said last month.

"We expect our players to behave a certain way and there are consequences when they
don't," he said. "Paul, Shaquille and Josh are paying a steep price for their lapse in judgment. They will not be allowed to enroll in school this fall and will not have the opportunity to begin their UCLA academic and athletic careers."

Still to be determined is whether the three will be allowed to enroll for the winter quarter, he said, adding the decision "will be based on several factors, including their behavior."

Paul Richardson was a wide receiver at Gardena Serra High School; Shaquille Richardson was a defensive back at Los Alamitos High School; and Shirley was a linebacker at Fontana Kaiser.