Man in a Halloween Costume Allegedly Stabbed Two People at Buzz Mill Coffee, Then Fled and Hit an Unoccupied Robotaxi, Police Say
Austin police say Shankar Temple Grace, 20, was found on a walking trail near Rosewood and Chestnut Avenues and booked on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Both victims were in stable condition Thursday, and police have released no motive.
Two people were stabbed Wednesday night at Buzz Mill Coffee, a coffee shop and bar at 1505 Town Creek Drive in the East Riverside area, shortly before a comedy show was scheduled to begin, the Austin Police Department said. Just before 9 p.m., officers responded to the business for a disturbance, and officers and Austin-Travis County EMS found two people with stab wounds, FOX 7 Austin reported. One victim had life-threatening injuries and the other non-life-threatening injuries; both were taken to a hospital and were in stable condition Thursday.
Police said the call was classified as a 'disturbance hot shot,' a designation for a rapidly escalating altercation involving an immediate threat of death or serious physical injury. The Austin Police Department said the suspect was wearing a Halloween costume during the attack, and a witness told police the man was dressed as a zombie with makeup covering his face, according to KEYE reporting carried by Fox News. People inside the establishment told officers the man had caused a disturbance at the bar before the stabbing.
After the stabbing, the suspect fled in a pickup truck, speeding away before striking an unoccupied autonomous vehicle, police said. Officers searched the area and found a suspect on a nearby walking trail near Rosewood and Chestnut Avenues, FOX 7 reported. Police identified him as Shankar Temple Grace, 20.
Grace was booked into the Travis County Jail on two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony, and was still in jail Thursday afternoon, FOX 7 reported. The charges are allegations. Police did not release any information on a potential motive. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Austin Police Department's Aggravated Assault Unit at 512-974-5245.
