The 2026 Milan Cortina Games became the last moment of freedom for a Slovak man who wanted to see his nation's ice hockey team play in the Winter Olympics.
A 44-year-old Slovak national was arrested Wednesday in Milan, ending a run during which he eluded Italian authorities for 16 years for alleged shopping thefts perpetrated in 2010. The man was apprehended after checking into a guest house outside of Milan, reportedly after police received a tip from hotel staff, according to a statement released by the local Carabinieri police force (via Reuters).
The fugitive intended to watch Slovakia play Finland in men's ice hockey the following day. Alas, the man did not get to see the Slovaks take the ice versus the Finns.
Slovakia won its opener in group play with a 4-1 victory over Finland. The man was taken to the San Vittore prison in Milan after being arrested and will serve 11 months and seven days.
Had the man avoided capture for three more days, he might have been able to see Slovakia play home country Italy in its next group-play matchup. Apparently, that would've been pushing his luck too far. He had already evaded arrest for 16 years since Italian prosecutors issued a warrant for him.
The end result of the story feels like what ultimately took down Neil McCauley (played by Robert De Niro) in 1995's "Heat." McCauley could have gotten away from Los Angeles police and detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and presumably enjoyed the rest of his life on the run.
But just like the Slovak fugitive decided to go back to Italy to watch his nation's ice hockey team, McCauley felt the need to exact revenge on Waingro (Kevin Gage) for ratting his heist crew out to police. That's what got him caught in the end.