Police say a home invasion and pursuit in Ithaca resulted in one man being sent to the hospital as he faces Class B felony charges.
According to a news release, on Saturday around 6 a.m. police responded to a residence on South Plain Street for a report of a home invasion robbery in progress.
It was reported that three people were awoken by an unknown male inside their home, armed with a knife, demanding money and property.
The victims and suspect did not know each other, but the victims did comply with the suspect’s demands. After taking property from the victim- he stole their vehicle and fled.
An officer located the vehicle traveling on South Plain Street and began following it. The operator tried evading police and failed to comply with an attempted traffic stop. The suspect then drove south on Elmira Road before crashing into a small tree in front of the Kwik Fill gas station.
Officers ordered the driver out of the vehicle, but once again, the operator failed to comply with the orders and attempted to flee.
Assistance was requested and received from the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office and Cornell University Police. The roadway was blocked off the area of the incident to prevent civilians from being placed in danger and dialogue between the suspect and police began.
A short time later, the suspect was identified as Christian Little-Paz, 36, of Ithaca. He emerged from the vehicle, but failed to comply with police orders. Two non-lethal bean bag rounds were deployed. He fell to the ground and continued struggling with police as they took him into custody.
Little-Paz was ultimately charged with first-degree counts of robbery and burglary. However, due to his level of intoxication and impairment he was still being treated at an area hospital as of Sunday.
Police said more information would be released by IPD when Little-Paz is released from the hospital and arraigned.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected].