AUSTIN, TX — Police in Austin say a 20-year-old man wearing zombie makeup and a costume stabbed two people Wednesday night inside a southeast Austin coffee shop. The suspect, identified by police as Shankar Temple Grace, faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Officers were sent to Buzz Mill Coffee after a disturbance call shortly before 9 p.m. Once they arrived, they found two people with stab wounds. Austin-Travis County EMS took both victims to a hospital, where police later said one had life-threatening injuries and the other had injuries that were not life-threatening.
Police say the suspect ran from the coffee shop in a pickup truck
Investigators said Grace fled the scene in a pickup truck and drove away at high speed after the stabbing. During that getaway, police said the vehicle struck an unoccupied Tesla Cybercab.
Officers searched the area after the incident and later found Grace on a walking trail near Rosewood and Chestnut avenues. He was arrested there and booked into the Travis County Jail, according to police.
The arrest came after what police described as a fast-moving search in the neighborhood around the coffee shop. Authorities have not said whether the truck was registered to Grace or how long the search lasted.
Victims remained in stable condition after emergency treatment
Police said both victims were hospitalized after the attack and were later listed in stable condition. One person had initially been reported in critical condition because of life-threatening injuries, while the other was hurt but not considered to have life-threatening injuries.
Authorities have not released the names of the victims. They also have not said what kind of weapon was used beyond describing it as a deadly weapon in the assault charges.
The condition update offered the first sign that both people survived the attack. No additional details were released about the extent of their injuries or expected recovery.
Witnesses described a man in zombie makeup and costume
Police said a witness at the coffee shop described the suspect as being dressed in zombie makeup and a zombie costume. That description matched the account officers used while identifying the person taken into custody.
People at the business also told police that the man had caused a disturbance there before Wednesday night, though investigators did not provide specifics about any earlier incidents. Police have not said whether those past problems were connected to the stabbing.
The information from witnesses helped shape the early investigation, but detectives have not said what led to the attack or whether the encounter began inside the shop or outside it.
Charges filed as detectives look for a possible link between Grace and the victims
Grace is charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one for each victim. Austin police said detectives are still trying to determine whether he knew either person before the attack.
That question remains central to the case, since investigators have not confirmed any relationship between Grace and the two people who were stabbed. Police have also not said whether the assault appears random or targeted.
Because the case is still under investigation, authorities are asking anyone with information to contact the APD Aggravated Assault Unit at 512-974-5245.
Buzz Mill Coffee becomes latest scene of a serious late-night violent call
The stabbing happened at Buzz Mill Coffee, located at 1505 Town Creek Drive in southeast Austin. The shop drew a police response at 8:54 p.m., turning a neighborhood business into the center of an active crime scene.
Even with limited details still unknown, the case has raised questions about safety at the location and what may have happened before officers arrived. Police have not said whether anyone else inside the coffee shop was hurt or whether the business will face any longer-term disruption.
For now, investigators are focusing on the circumstances of the confrontation, the suspect’s movements after the stabbing and whether earlier encounters at the shop may help explain what happened Wednesday night.
