Ithaca man charged with stabbing threat, laptop theft

An Ithaca man faces a felony charge after allegedly stealing a Cornell University student's laptop computer, fleeing into McGraw Tower and threatening to stab a pursuer, according to court documents.

Kelsey Q. McBean, 21, was charged with third-degree robbery, a felony; third-degree menacing; and petit larceny. He was released on his own recognizance with $1,000 bail, and the prosecutor and defense are scheduled to report on the case's status by Aug. 10, according to City of Ithaca court clerks.

At about 5:40 p.m. Tuesday, McBean allegedly walked up behind a student who was typing on a 2011 Macbook Pro laptop in Cornell's Kroch Library. McBean shut the computer, grabbed it and ran out of the room, according to the student's statement.

The laptop is reportedly worth $500, according to court documents.

"I then chased the black male, who ran into one of the stack rooms, with another student who was helping me chase him," the student said.

The student, a man, fell during the pursuit and injured his elbow, according to court documents. He received medical attention from Cornell Emergency Medical Services for a cut on his elbow.

McBean fled from the library and ran to McGraw Tower while he was pursued by a second Cornell student, according to court documents.

The pursuer said McBean made him fear for his life in the tower: "When this person turned around, he was three feet away from me. As the black male stood there facing me, he said, 'Watch out bro; you don't want to get stabbed.'"

The pursuer said he turned around, ran from the tower and barricaded the door so that McBean could not come out, called 911 and waited for police to arrive, court documents said.

Once he was arrested, both students identified McBean as the perpetrator, court documents said.

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