Miladin “Minja” Kovacevic was still behind bars Friday, while Bryan Steinhauer was in the hospital in critical condition, officials said.
Lt. John Chapman of Binghamton City Police said Friday that he did not want to release the name, whereabouts or medical status of the victim Kovacevic is accused of assaulting until police had “eliminated the possibility of another suspect.” But the Press & Sun-Bulletin identified Steinhauer as the victim Wednesday, reporting that the Binghamton University student “remained in critical condition this afternoon, clinging to life with serious head injuries suffered in a beating early Sunday morning at a Downtown nightclub.”
Kovacevic is accused of repeatedly kicking the BU student early Sunday, May 4, in the Rathskeller nightclub on 92 State St. He was arrested later that day and was charged with second-degree assault, a felony.
Kovacevic, who played on the men’s basketball team, was remanded without bail Monday, May 5, to Broome County Jail after pleading not guilty to the assault charge. His next court appearance has not been scheduled, a court clerk said. He was in jail Friday on $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond bail, according to an inmate records clerk.
He was summarily suspended and banned from BU in connection with the assault, said University spokeswoman Gail Glover.
A spokeswoman at Wilson Regional Medical Center in Johnson City said Friday that Steinhauer was in critical condition, but said she could offer no other information because of patient confidentiality.
But the Press & Sun-Bulletin said Wednesday, “The hospital reported the student was in a drug-induced coma because of swelling around his brain, according to Detective Lt. John Chapman of the Binghamton Police Bureau.”
Binghamton Police received a call about the incident at 1:23 a.m. and responded moments later, Chapman said. The nightclub was opened during the incident and police said there were witnesses. Kovacevic wasn’t at the bar when officers arrived. But Binghamton’s New York State University Police spotted him in a parking lot on the Vestal campus at 12:40 p.m. the same day and detained him until Binghamton City police detectives transported him to the Binghamton police station.
No other arrests have been made. Police could not say what sparked the alleged violence. The incident is still under investigation by Binghamton and University police.
Kovacevic, a 6-foot-9-inch, 260-pound forward played in 18 games for BU’s Division I men’s basketball team as a freshman in the 2006-07 season. He was redshirted in the 2007-08 season due to injury.
He has been suspended from the basketball team. Before the incident coaches had not yet asked Kovacevic to play next season, Glover said. He was not offered an athletic scholarship, which is renewed on an annual basis.