A 20-year-old man dressed as a zombie allegedly stabbed two people at an Austin, Texas, coffee shop before fleeing in a pickup truck and crashing into an unoccupied autonomous vehicle, according to local authorities. The Austin Police Department identified the suspect as Shankar Temple Grace following the Wednesday night incident.
The Attack at The Buzz Mill
The violent encounter unfolded shortly before a local comedy show was scheduled to begin at The Buzz Mill, a popular coffee shop and bar in Austin, Fox News reported. Police responded to the establishment following reports of what dispatchers classify as a “disturbance hot shot”—a designation reserved for rapidly escalating altercations that involve an immediate threat to life or serious physical harm.
Investigators said the suspect was wearing a Halloween costume at the time of the assault, with a witness describing him to law enforcement as dressed as a zombie with his face covered in makeup, according to reporting from KEYE cited by DNYUz. Patrons at the venue also informed officers that Grace had caused a disturbance at the bar prior to the stabbings.
First responders arrived to find two victims with varying degrees of injury. One person sustained life-threatening wounds, while the second victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries, according to the Austin Police Department. Both individuals were rushed to a hospital, where authorities later reported them to be in stable condition.
The Escape and Crash with a Robotaxi
Following the attack, Grace allegedly fled the scene in a pickup truck. While speeding away from the coffee shop, the vehicle struck an unoccupied autonomous vehicle—commonly referred to as a robotaxi—according to local media coverage.
Police launched a search for the suspect immediately after the collision. Officers eventually located and apprehended Grace on a walking trail roughly three miles away from The Buzz Mill.
Authorities booked the 20-year-old into the Travis County Jail. He has been formally charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, which is classified as a second-degree felony under Texas law.
