Man in Zombie Costume Arrested After Stabbing Two at Austin Coffee Shop

A man dressed as a zombie allegedly stabbed two people at The Buzz Mill, an Austin, Texas coffee shop, on Wednesday night before fleeing the scene and crashing into an unoccupied vehicle. The Austin Police Department identified the suspect as Shankar Temple Grace, 20, who was subsequently arrested.

Authorities responded to the coffee shop and bar shortly before a scheduled comedy show was set to begin, classifying the incident as a "disturbance hot shot," indicating a rapidly escalating altercation with an immediate threat to life or serious physical harm. First responders found one victim with life-threatening injuries and another with non-life-threatening injuries. Both were transported to a local hospital and were reported in stable condition.

After the stabbing, Grace allegedly fled in a pickup truck and later struck an unoccupied autonomous vehicle. Police initiated a search and located Grace approximately three miles from the coffee shop on a walking trail. He was wearing a Halloween costume at the time of his arrest, with a witness describing his attire as a zombie costume with face makeup.

Some patrons at the establishment told police that Grace had caused a disturbance prior to the stabbing incident.

Grace was booked into the Travis County Jail and faces two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.