Man in Zombie Makeup Accused of Stabbing Two at an Austin Coffee Shop; a 20-Year-Old Is Charged
Police say Shankar Temple Grace, 20, stabbed two people at the Buzz Mill on Wednesday night before a comedy show, fled in a pickup and hit an empty driverless car. Both victims were last reported stable.
A Wednesday-night stabbing at an East Riverside coffee shop has put a 20-year-old Austin man in the Travis County Jail on two felony charges. The Austin Police Department identified the suspect as Shankar Temple Grace, 20, and said the attack happened at The Buzz Mill, a coffee shop and bar, shortly before a local comedy show was scheduled to begin.
Police responded to what they classified as a 'disturbance hot shot' - an escalating altercation involving an immediate threat to life or serious harm. First responders found one victim with life-threatening injuries and a second with non-life-threatening injuries; both were taken to a hospital and were last reported in stable condition, according to APD.
After the stabbing, the suspect fled in a pickup truck and struck an unoccupied autonomous vehicle, KEYE reported. Officers searched and located him on a walking trail roughly three miles from the scene. APD said the suspect was wearing a Halloween costume at the time, and a witness told police he was dressed as a zombie with his face covered in makeup, according to KEYE. People at the shop also told police he had caused a disturbance there before Wednesday night.
Grace was booked into the Travis County Jail and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony. Court records reported by CBS Austin put his arrest early Thursday. The charges are allegations; no court outcome has been reported, and this story will be updated if authorities release the victims' conditions or a court date.
