Latest news with #Phay
Global News
4 days ago
- Global News
Woman in coma after break-in at Beanie Babies billionaire's home
A woman is in a coma after a man allegedly broke into the California mansion of Beanie Babies billionaire founder Ty Warner and violently attacked her. Russell Maxwell Phay, a 42-year-old war combat veteran who served in the U.S. army, was arrested last week after the break-in in Montecito, according to a statement from the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office. The Santa Barbara Independent reported that Phay broke into Warner's residence on May 21 and claimed that it was his home, demanding that everyone inside leave. He then 'violently' beat a woman in the home before barricading himself in an upstairs bathroom, according to authorities. According to NBC News, 80-year-old Warner, a known recluse, was home at the time of the attack but was not injured. The woman, in her 60s, used to work for Warner's hotels division, KSBW reported, but it is unclear why she was in Warner's home at the time of the incident. Story continues below advertisement A criminal complaint obtained by KSBW said that the victim, who is said to be 'comatose due to brain injury,' was a 'particularly vulnerable' person. The sheriff's office says that when police were called to Warner's mansion, they found the woman suffering from 'severe injuries outside the residence.' She was immediately taken to hospital. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Meanwhile, authorities said Phay had barricaded himself in an upstairs bathroom and tried to escape by climbing out a window and jumping to the ground. Montecito: Deputies are on scene of a single barricaded subject on Fairway Road. Channel Drive is blocked and we ask the public to avoid the area. Updates here as they become available. Time of call 4:31 pm. — PIO Raquel Zick (@SBSOPIO) May 22, 2025 He was quickly apprehended by deputies and a sheriff's K9. According to the police filings, Phay may not have known the identity of the homeowner at the time. Story continues below advertisement He has been charged with obstruction and various felonies, including burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury and kidnapping. He has also been charged with first-degree attempted murder. According to the legal news website Law & Crime, Phay was featured in a 2014 article in the San Francisco Chronicle focused on a court that specialized in veterans' issues. In that article, Phay stated, 'I am fully trained for combat. I have been trained to eliminate you. I know that sounds crazy, but it is true.' The Independent reports that this is not Phay's first brush with the law; at the time he was featured in the Chronicle, he had been accused of attacking his wife when she attempted to leave him, taking their son with her, and was also named in a 2024 complaint after he allegedly threatened a California couple. KSBW also reported that Phay was charged in 2018 with battery and assault, but the case was dismissed last year. Warner's company, Ty Inc., manufactured and distributed stuffed toys, including the Beanie Babies that were all the rage in the 1990s, earning him a massive fortune.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Suspect arrested, woman in coma after break-in at Beanie Babies tycoon's California mansion
The CEO and founder of the company that makes Beanie Babies was the victim of an alleged burglary that occurred at his California mansion, an incident that included an assault that left a woman in a coma. A call regarding a possible vehicle theft or home invasion robbery came into deputies in Santa Barbara County around 4:30 p.m. on May 21, according to the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office. Upon arriving at the scene, the 1000 block of Fairway Road in Montecito, a woman who had sustained severe injuries from an assault was located outside the residence. She was transported to a nearby hospital by ambulance and remains comatose. The criminal complaint filed May 23 identified her as Linda Malek-Aslanian, 60. Media reports indicate she is a financial services expert who once worked for the hotels division of Ty Warner, the reclusive billionaire who is the CEO and sole owner of Ty Inc., a stuffed toy company known for the famous Beanie Babies. With a net worth of $6 billion, Warner also owns a portfolio of luxury properties, including the Four Seasons in New York. In 2014, he was sentenced to probation for tax evasion after failing to report more than $24.4 million in income and evading nearly $5.6 million in taxes. 7 remain hospitalized days after Liverpool F.C. parade crash that injured at least 79 Warner, 80, was listed in the complaint as being home at the time of the incident, although police did not state that information. 'Deputies learned that a male suspect was still inside the residence, but it was unclear if all occupants had safely escaped,' Santa Barbara deputies said on the day of the incident. 'Additional deputies, along with allied agencies including CHP and the Santa Barbara Police Department, established a perimeter around the residence…Santa Barbara County Air Support also responded to the area to assist with observations overhead.' 'While deputies attempted to determine if there were possible hostages, the Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team and Crisis Negotiation Team responded with Bearcat armored rescue vehicles,' SBSD elaborated. It was later determined that all occupants had escaped the home and that the suspect – identified by authorities as Russell Maxwell Phay – barricaded himself in an upstairs bathroom. Phay, a Nevada resident, attempted to flee by climbing out of a second-story window, but he was apprehended after jumping to the ground. Girl, 4, receiving treatment in L.A. faces life-threatening risk of deportation to Mexico The 42-year-old was booked for one misdemeanor (obstruction) and several felonies, including burglary, assault with a deadly weapon, battery with serious bodily injury and kidnapping. It is believed that the victims and suspect were not known to each other. High costs, 'complex' labor issues are killing Hollywood, report states An SFGate column about a special court for veterans published in 2014 featured Phay, who said at the time that the he was in the Army and trained as an infantry combat soldier; however, just as he was expecting to be deployed to Kuwait, his tour ended and he was out of the military. 'I am fully trained for combat,' he told the outlet. 'I have been trained to eliminate you. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true.' The SFGate column noted that Phay 'had big problems' when he got out of the Army and found himself on the wrong side of the law after following his wife to Colorado and threatening her. After his stint in prison, he ended up in San Francisco at the Veterans Court. 'They've recognized that I'm salvageable,' he said at the time. A report from the Siskiyou Daily News stated that Phay — who was listed as a San Francisco resident — was arrested on Dec. 6, 2014, and charged with assault and battery. Records indicating whether or not Phay was convicted in that case could not be immediately found. According to inmate search records, Phay remains in custody at the Southern Branch Jail in relation to the May 21 incident. He is being held on no bail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Woman in Coma After Break-in Attack at Beanie Babies Billionaire's Mansion
A woman in Montecito is reportedly comatose after sustaining multiple serious injuries during an attempted robbery at the home of the billionaire businessman behind the Beanie Babies empire. On May 21, Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies were responding to reports of a possible robbery in progress when they discovered Linda Malek-Aslanian, 60, seriously injured outside of Ty Warner's home. Authorities believe Malek-Aslanian was badly beaten by the attempted robber. Warner, 80, is the sole owner of Ty Inc., the toy company behind the '90s cultural phenomenon Beanie Babies. Warner was present when the attempted burglar entered his home, but escaped without injury and contacted authorities, police told People. Malek-Aslanian is a financial services expert who worked for Warner's string of hotels and resorts from 2004 to 2015, reports the Santa Barbara Independent. Inside the home, the suspect, Russel Maxwell Phay, 42, had barricaded himself into an upstairs bathroom, police said in a statement. Concerned that Phay, a Nevada native and Army veteran, may be holding a hostage, the Sheriff's deputies called in reinforcements, including a crisis negotiating team, K-9 officers, and a helicopter. Malek-Aslanian, meanwhile, was immediately transported to a local hospital, where she remains in critical condition. While crisis negotiators attempted to talk Phay into surrendering, the suspect instead escaped the home through a bathroom window. He was quickly apprehended. Phay is now charged with first-degree attempted murder, residential burglary with a person present, assault, and resisting or delaying a peace officer. In his charging document, as reported by People, authorities noted the assault caused his victim to 'become comatose due to a brain injury.' Phay has pleaded not guilty on all charges. Investigators don't believe Phay had any personal connection to Warner, and aren't sure whether he had a motive to choose Warner's home in particular. However, the Montecito area is well-known for being home to the rich and famous. Alongside Warner, its residents include Oprah, Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and the Sussexes, who relocated to the California enclave after leaving the royal family in 2020. The reportedly reclusive Warner is a longtime resident of the California enclave. In addition to his private home, he also owns the Montecito Country Club and the luxury resort San Ysidro Ranch. In 2018, Beanie Babies even released a Montecito-centric toy, Cito the Dog, to honor the victims of the 2018 Southern California mudflows. The Ty Inc. CEO, who made his fortune with inventive business decisions like launching one of the first-ever direct-to-consumer websites, is himself a convicted felon. In 2014, the CEO was sentenced to two years' probation for tax evasion after authorities discovered he had concealed an offshore account in Switzerland that at one point held up to $107 million. Meanwhile, this is not Phay's first brush with authorities. In 2014, Phay briefly served prison time after his estranged wife alleged he threatened her and followed her across state lines when she moved to Colorado with their child, according to SFGate. The same year, Phay was featured in a story from the same publication detailing alternative justice efforts for veterans who struggled with mental health issues and had been convicted of misdemeanors and non-violent felonies. According to the feature, Phay is a trained infantry combat soldier who received specialized weapons training and expected to serve in Kuwait, but was discharged before he could be deployed. After serving prison time, he participated in a voluntary program known as Veterans Court, which aims to reduce recidivism for veterans by allowing those who meet certain requirements for receiving drug testing and mental health counseling to have their charges reduced. At the time, Phay told the Chronicle of his time in Veterans Court, 'They've recognized that I am salvageable. I need treatment, and I've gotten treatment.' However, according to local outlet KEYT, Phay was arrested again in 2017, this time in Siskiyou County, on charges of battery and assault. Those charges were eventually dismissed in 2024, but the same year, Phay was named in a complaint by a couple in the Arroyo Grande region who alleged he threatened them over the phone. Upon his arrest for burglary, the Santa Barbara County District Attorney John Savrnoch filed a special allegation alongside the charges, citing Phay's history of violence and claiming he 'poses a serious danger to society.'
