Woman in coma after violent break-in at home of Beanie Babies co-founder Ty Warner
A violent break-in at the home of a Santa Barbara County billionaire has left a woman in a coma, authorities confirm.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office confirmed to KCAL News on Tuesday that charges have been filed in connection with an incident at the home of Ty Warner, CEO and owner of Beanie Babies manufacturer Ty Inc.
The incident occurred on Wednesday at around 4:31 p.m., when deputies with the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office responded to a reported home invasion or possible vehicle theft on the 1000 block of Fairway Road in Montecito. The office says arriving deputies found a woman with severe injuries.
She was transported to a local hospital, and deputies learned that a suspect was inside the home. Deputies entered the home and found a male suspect barricaded inside an upstairs restroom. The remainder of the occupants had fled the home.
As a crisis team attempted to convince the man to surrender, he eventually tried to escape through the bathroom window. After he jumped out, deputies managed to take him into custody.
The sheriff's office identified him as Russell Maxwell Phay, 43 of Henderson, Nevada.
On Thursday, the DA's Office filed charges against Phay. They include first degree attempted murder with premedition and deliberation, residential burglary with a person present, kidnapping, assault with a force likely to produce great bodily injury and resisting or delaying a peace officer.
The office also revealed that the injuries sustained to the woman, who remains unidentified publicly, resulted in her entering a coma.
Her current condition wasn't known as of Tuesday.
Charging documents provided to KCAL News showed that Warner, 80, was inside the home at the time of the break-in.
A motive was not revealed.
