Violent break-in at Beanie Babies mogul Ty Warner's California home left woman in coma: DA
A violent break-in occurred at the California home of Beanie Babies mogul Ty Warner that left a woman in a coma, officials said.
A Nevada man now faces multiple charges, including attempted murder, in connection with the home invasion and assault, according to the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office.
The incident unfolded on May 21 at the Montecito home of Warner, according to court filings obtained by ABC News.
The suspect -- 42-year-old Russell Maxwell Phay of Henderson, Nevada -- was taken into custody "after violently attacking a stranger inside a private residence and barricading himself from deputies," the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies responding to the residence found the victim with "severe injuries" outside and, following a search of the residence, the suspect barricaded in an upstairs bathroom, the sheriff's office said.
"The suspect attempted to flee by climbing out of a second-story bathroom window," the sheriff's office said in a press release. " He jumped to the ground where he was apprehended by deputies and a Sheriff’s K9."
The victim -- identified in the criminal complaint as L. Malek-Aslanian -- was transported by ambulance to a local hospital. The attack left her "comatose due to brain injury," the complaint stated.
The complaint alleges that Phay entered the mansion with the intent to burglarize it, then held Malek-Aslanian against her will and assaulted her, causing great bodily injury. The victim was "particularly vulnerable," the complaint stated.
Investigators do not have any indication that the victim or suspect knew each other, authorities said.
The billionaire businessman was identified in the complaint as T. Warner, which the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office confirmed to be Ty Warner, the homeowner.
Phay was charged Friday with first-degree attempted murder with premeditation and deliberation, residential burglary, kidnapping, assault and resisting a peace officer, the district attorney's office said. He is additionally charged with special allegations for personally inflicting great bodily injury resulting in a coma.
Phay has pleaded not guilty to his charges. His bail has been set at $1 million.
He is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on June 2. Attorney information was not immediately available.
