Mugshot of Soso Jamabo, UCLA’s five-star signee, who was arrested early Sunday morning for evading police in a vehicle. (Kaufman County Sheriff’s Office)
Five-star running back Soso Jamabo, who signed with UCLA in February, was arrested early Sunday morning for fleeing police in a vehicle.
Jamabo posted a $7,500 surety bond on Sunday afternoon, and was released from Kaufman County Jail. Online records had showed that Sotonye Josiah Jamabo was booked at 1:28 a.m. CT on multiple charges, including minor possession of alcohol and speeding, but he is now only facing one charge — evading arrest with a vehicle, a state jail felony under the Texas penal code.
“We are aware of the reports out of Dallas regarding Sotonye Jamabo,” a UCLA spokesperson said in a statement. “We are obviously concerned about these reports and are currently gathering more information. As this is a continuing process, we will withhold further comment until the appropriate time.”
The Plano West star was arrested by Kemp police, approximately an hour southeast of the high school. A since-deleted picture uploaded onto Twitter showed that Jamabo, 18, may have been attending prom.
Kemp chief of police Robert Walker said in an emailed statement that Jamabo was driving a Ford pick-up truck that exited Highway 175-East at approximately 7:20 p.m. Saturday night at a “high rate of speed.” When a Kemp police officer attempted to initiate a stop, the vehicle continued driving, disregarding a stop sign and turning on Highway 274.
The vehicle then continued southbound, according to the statement, swerving and “having total disregard of public safety.” Occupants in the vehicle also began throwing objects out of the window. Once the truck stopped, however, the occupants exited as vehicle as instructed. Jamabo was arrested for evading arrest, while the others — a 19-year-old male, an 18-year-old female, and a juvenile — were given citations and released.
Kemp Police say Soso Jamabo could be heard screaming "my life is over" during traffic stop last night – @wfaachannel8
— David Goins (@dgoins) April 19, 2015
The Dallas Morning News first reported Jamabo’s arrest. He was ranked the top recruit in the state of Texas by Rivals.com, as well as the fourth-best running back in the country and a top-25 recruit at any position.
His commitment to UCLA on ESPNU was part of a huge National Signing Day haul for UCLA, one that was considered a consensus top-10 recruiting class.
“Just a tremendous talent,” head coach Jim Mora said on Feb. 4. “He’s big, he’s strong, he’s fast, he’s physical. He can run between the tackles, he can get the edge, he can take it home. One of the things we like about him is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He’s also a very good blocker.”
Updated at 3:32 pm. PT.