U of I Law Student Faces Felony Charges

A University of Illinois law student was charged after prosecutors said he intentionally hit a teenager riding an e-bike near campus with his car on April 16. (yahoo.com) Court records cited by WCIA identify the defendant as 30-year-old Suleyman Komekov. He made his first court appearance on Friday, April 17, and prosecutors charged him with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and reckless driving. (yahoo.com) Police said the case traces back to April 4, when Komekov tried to sell a phone to a group of teens and they ran off with it. Prosecutors said he later showed University of Illinois police a photo of one teen and asked what he could do if he caught them; officers told him to call 911 and not use force. (yahoo.com) About 75 minutes later, officers responded to a car-versus-e-bike crash at East John Street and South Fifth Street in Champaign. The teen told police a Toyota Prius drove by, made a U-turn and chased him before hitting him on the sidewalk. (yahoo.com) Prosecutors said security video showed the car accelerating past Joe’s Brewery on Fifth Street, running a stop sign and veering onto the sidewalk. The impact also knocked down a concrete pole, according to the same court account. (yahoo.com) Komekov told investigators he hit the accelerator instead of the brake because he was stressed. A charge of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon treats a vehicle as the weapon when prosecutors say it was used to injure someone. (yahoo.com) The case now runs on two tracks: criminal court and university discipline. The University of Illinois Student Code says students can face sanctions including suspension, dismissal, conduct probation, censure or reprimand, and the university can withhold a degree before it is conferred. (studentcode.illinois.edu) The university’s code also says its discipline system covers violations of campus or university rules, separate from any criminal case. That means a student can face campus penalties even while charges are still pending in court. (studentcode.illinois.edu) University police publish daily crime and arrest logs under the Clery Act, the federal campus-safety law that requires schools to disclose recent crimes in and around campus. Illinois says those reports are meant to give students and employees timely information about public safety issues near the university. (police.illinois.edu) Komekov was granted pretrial release with special conditions, including that he cannot drive, and his next court date is May 5. The charges remain allegations, and the case will turn on what prosecutors can prove from the video, witness accounts and police reports. (yahoo.com)