On June 29th, around 8:40 in the morning, officers from the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Dunkin Donuts on Pine Street in the Town of Ithaca for a reported assault.
As officers arrived, they found a pregnant woman who sustained injuries after being punched in the face and then dragged by a vehicle. The woman informed police she was involved in a road rage incident only prior to pulling into the Dunkin Donuts. She said when she exited the store, the same vehicle from the incident was parked next to hers in the parking lot.
As she approached her vehicle, she saw a male occupant had keyed her vehicle. The woman then attempted to speak with the male suspect, but was assaulted. As she was trying to stabilize herself from the assault, the woman grabbed the assailant’s door. The suspect’s vehicle then reversed, dragging the pregnant woman about 50 feet.
It was on Thursday, July 13th, officers from the Sheriff’s Office made their first arrest in the case. Officers arrested the driver of the vehicle, 23 year old Makendra Peterson of Painted Post, NY. Peterson was charged with Assault in the 2nd Degree, a Felony.
The second suspect in the case is still being sought after by the Sheriff’s Office. Police are attempting to locate 25 year old Anthony R. Cruz (pictured).
Cruz currently has a warrant for Assault in the 2nd and Criminal Mischief in the 2nd as a result of the assault on June 29th. Police also believe Cruz has been involved in other reported road rage incidents in the Ithaca area. It is believed he also frequents the Elmira area.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office tip-line at 607-266-5420. If information you provide is in real time, the Sheriff’s Office asks you to call 9-1-1.
