Police Arrest Fugitive After 30-Hour Manhunt, Found at Lake Jarun
Police arrested 47-year-old Ž.B. on Wednesday evening after he escaped during a transfer to Remetinec prison. Jutarnji list reveals details of the escape and the chase.
Police arrested 47-year-old Ž.B. on Wednesday evening after he escaped during a transfer to Remetinec prison. Jutarnji list reveals details of the escape and the chase.
Police arrested 47-year-old fugitive Ž.B. on Wednesday evening in the Zagreb neighborhood of Jarun, after nearly 30 hours on the run. The man escaped on Tuesday at 2:15 PM during a police transfer to the Zagreb prison in Remetinec, and how he made it from Velika Gorica to Zagreb remains unknown. It is also unclear where he spent the night, what he ate, or whether he committed any additional crimes along the way.
According to Jutarnji list, Ž.B. was under the supervision of a single officer from the Transfer Unit from 10 AM on Tuesday until the moment of his escape. While waiting for a hearing before the on-duty investigating judge regarding a request for his detention due to violating a court order and child rights infringement, he complained of hunger, prompting the officer to take the initiative to buy him food from a store across from the court in Velika Gorica.
The officer bought him a burek and milk, paying with his own money, and left him locked and handcuffed in the police van. After the hearing, the on-duty judge of the County Court in Velika Gorica ordered 30 days of pre-trial detention due to the risk of reoffending. When the judge informed him he would return to prison, he became calm and appeared resigned to returning to his cell. As they left the courthouse, the officer held him with one hand while carrying documents regarding his detention in the other.
When the officer opened the door of the police van, he had to momentarily release the suspect. As soon as he touched the door handle, Ž.B. bolted to the left. The officer immediately gave chase, and while crossing the road, he narrowly avoided being hit by a car that managed to swerve around the fugitive.
The officer fell but quickly got up and continued the pursuit. A young passerby also joined in, but Ž.B., who is of slight build, deftly disappeared among the buildings of Cvjetno Naselje. After escaping, he was seen on a bicycle and managed to remove his handcuffs.
The man is a known repeat offender of a specific type. He directed threats at his former partner, with whom he was not married, often in the presence of children. In mid-August, he was released from prison after serving a sentence of four years and eight months for a series of offenses.
In addition to verbal threats, several years ago he locked himself in an apartment and threatened to blow up a gas canister. We also learned that on one occasion he fired a bullet from a pistol outside an apartment door. After his release on August 14, he was immediately arrested and brought before the court in Velika Gorica for failing to comply with a court decision.
The Zagreb Police Department had earlier released a photo of the fugitive with the following description: "The man is 47 years old, between 175 and 180 centimeters tall, of slim build, with blue eyes, longer light brown graying hair tied back, and graying mustache and beard of medium length. At the time of the escape, he was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with the word 'PREFA' on the front and gray shorts."
Following his arrest, Ž.B. will be transferred to the Zagreb Prison in Remetinec, where he has previously been held for earlier offenses, and his pre-trial detention will last 30 days.
