A woman is in a coma after she was violently attacked by a man who broke into the California mansion of Beanie Babies billionaire Ty Warner and barricaded himself from deputies.
Russell Maxwell Phay, 42, of Nevada, was taken into custody following the harrowing incident on the afternoon of May 21, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
Deputies responded to the private home in Montecito to find a woman, identified as “L. Malek-Aslanian,” with severe injuries, according to a criminal complaint obtained by KSBW.
The complaint identified the homeowner as “T. Warner,” who was confirmed to be Ty Warner, Amber Frost, a communications specialist for the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, told NBC News.
Warner, 80, who is reportedly known to be reclusive, was home at the time of the attack, but the billionaire was not harmed.
The woman injured in the attack was identified as a 60-year-old financial services expert who previously worked for Warner’s hotels division, KSBW reported.
She was immediately transported to the local hospital while authorities moved in on the suspect who had barricaded himself inside the house. When he tried to escape by jumping out of a window, police quickly descended on him and he was taken into custody.
Authorities said they do not believe Phay knows the woman he allegedly attacked, or Warner, but it’s unclear why he was there.
Phay had another brush with the law when he was accused of threatening his wife after she took their son to Colorado, according to a 2014 San Francisco Chronicle article about a special court just for military veterans.
He claimed the Army gave him special weapons training to send him to Kuwait. However, the tour ended before he could be deployed, he said.
“I am fully trained for combat,” Phay told the Chronicle. “I have been trained to eliminate you. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true.”
In last week’s attack, Phay was charged with attempted murder, burglary, kidnapping, and assault, according to the complaint.
He is being held at the Santa Barbara County Southern Branch Jail and is not eligible for bail.
