Oct 28, 2008 6:42 pm US/Eastern
Serb Student Wanted In N.Y. Beating Case Arrested
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Miladin Kovacevic is accused of beating Bryan Steinhauer into a coma before fleeing to his native Serbia.
CBS
A Serbian basketball player wanted for beating a college student from Brooklyn into a come has been arrested again, but this time Miladin Kovacevic was taken into custody in his native Serbia, where he spent months on the lam.
On Tuesday, Kovacevic found out he can't hide within the borders of his homeland, where he'd been living since jumping bail in New York. He was accused of assaulting 22-year-old Bryan Steinhauer, leaving his fellow Binghamton student in a coma and severely injured.
The 21-year-old was arrested Tuesday in the Serbian capital of Belgrade, along with a former Serbian consul who helped him flee the U.S.
"The wheels of justice are grinding inexorably forward and although there's not going to be a resolution in the next five minutes, their reigns have been tightening," said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
Kovacevic has admittedly refused to return to stand trial in the U.S., saying any case would have to be heard in a Serbian court.
But in a statement released today, Sen. Hillary Clinton says that's not good enough. "While Mr. Kovacevic's arrest is a step in the right direction, we must continue to work together to ensure that he returns to the U.S. to face prosecution," she said.
It's a sentiment echoed by New York's senior senator, who last August found himself outraged to see the images of Kovacevic wearing a gray tank top and working out with a local basketball club in northern Serbia.
"It is far better to have him detained than on the basketball court, and we must now work to ensure that he is returned to the U.S. as soon as possible to face justice," said Schumer.
Lawmakers say they will stop at nothing to return Kovacevic to the U.S., including their recent threat of imposing sanctions on Serbia, which may have been the thing that broke the international stalemate.
Word of Tuesday's arrest was welcome news to the parents of Kovacevic's alleged victim, whose condition is said to be improving. Steinhauer's parents released a statement saying: "We are gratified that justice is taking its course."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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