An Ithaca To Go driver was punched and stabbed while sitting in their vehicle in the 100 block of Green street Saturday evening.
The victim stated that prior to the assault he was waiting to pick up a food order in front of a local restaurant. He was then approached by the suspect, Shawn M. Fenner, 51, who punched him in the face through the open driver’s side window of his vehicle.
The victim was then stabbed in the arm as he was exiting his vehicle to confront Fenner. Dispatch audio indicates the victim received a laceration from a “red and white pen.” The dispatch audio also suggests Ithaca Police Department (IPD) officers had encountered Fenner earlier Saturday, and he had previously been in possession of a box cutter.
The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and was treated at a local hospital. The suspect and the victim were unknown to each other and had no prior interactions. IPD officers were assisted by the Ithaca Fire Department and Bangs Ambulance.
IPD officers were able to almost immediately identify Fenner as the assailant and arrest him, with the call coming in at 8:43 PM and the arrest occurring at 8:54 PM, approximately 11 minutes later.
Fenner was charged with Assault in the 2nd Degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the 3rd Degree, both Class D Felonies. Fenner was also charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 7th, a Class A Misdemeanor.
Fenner was arraigned in Ithaca City Court and remanded to the Tompkins County Jail in lieu of $5,000 cash/$10,000 bond.
An IPD press release requests that anyone who may have witnessed this incident or who can provide any information to contact the Ithaca Police Department as soon as possible via the following means. Those who wish to remain anonymous may do so.
Police Dispatch: 607-272-3245
Police Administration: 607-272-9973
Police Tipline: 607-330-0000
Anonymous Email Tip Address: www.cityofithaca.org/ipdtips
UPDATE: IPD officers have returned to the scene to search for what dispatch audio says is a knife.
