For the second time in less than a year, a Binghamton University men’s basketball player has been charged with assault.
Malik Alvin, a junior guard on the team, has been charged with third degree assault, a misdemeanor, after an altercation at the Vestal Wal-Mart that resulted in an elderly women being transported to an area hospital.
The incident, which occurred on Oct. 26 according to Sgt. Edward Golluscio of the Vestal Police Department, began when Alvin, 20, allegedly left the store without paying for a box of condoms. When a Wal-Mart employee attempted to confront Alvin, he reportedly attempted to flee, knocking over an unidentified elderly woman in the process. The woman was taken to Lourdes Hospital in Binghamton. Police could not comment on her current condition, but reports from the Press and Sun-Bulletin state that the woman is 66 years old and suffered a concussion.
Alvin was arrested and arraigned in Vestal Town Court on Nov. 6.
He pleaded innocent to both one count of petit larceny, a misdemeanor, and third-degree assault, according to the Press and Sun-Bulletin.
Alvin has been suspended from the team until the legal matter is resolved. At that point, he reportedly may have to apply for reinstatement by the team, according to Associate Director of Athletics for Communications John Hartrick.
The 6-foot Alvin of Philadelphia, Pa., transferred to Binghamton University this year from Chipola College in Florida. Before helping the Indians to a Panhandle Conference title last season, Alvin spent a season at the University of Texas-El Paso. There, he set freshman records for assists (137) and steals (45), and led all Conference USA freshmen in both categories.
BU men’s basketball coach Kevin Broadus did not return calls for comment Monday afternoon.
No comment was immediately available from Wal-Mart, as it is company policy not to comment on ongoing legal matters, according to a manager at the Vestal location.
The reputation of the basketball program was dragged through the mud in May when sophomore Miladin “Minja” Kovacevic allegedly beat fellow BU student Bryan Steinhauer into a coma at the Rathskeller Pub in Downtown Binghamton. Kovacevic was charged with felony assault. Subsequently, the Serbian national fled the country with an illegally-issued passport provided by the Serbian Embassy in Manhattan.
The case garnered national attention when the Serbian government stated that they would not extradite Kovacevic to stand trial in the United States. Kovacevic was detained by the Serbian government on Oct. 28, on suspicion of “inflicting bodily harm” on Steinhauer. He is set to be imprisoned in Belgrade for thirty days in order for the Serbian government to build a case against him.