A man dressed as a zombie allegedly stabbed two people at an Austin, Texas coffee shop Wednesday night before speeding away in a pickup truck and crashing into an unoccupied vehicle.
The Austin Police Department (APD) identified the suspect as Shankar Temple Grace, 20, who was arrested after a search.
The incident unfolded shortly before a local comedy show was scheduled to begin at The Buzz Mill, a coffee shop and bar.
Officials said police responded to reports of a “disturbance hot shot” inside the business, a classification for a rapidly escalating altercation involving 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, APD said.
Both victims were rushed to a hospital. They were last reported in stable condition, according to authorities.
After the stabbing, the suspect fled in a pickup truck, speeding away before striking an unoccupied autonomous vehicle, KEYE reported.
Officers launched a search and eventually located him on a walking trail roughly 3 miles from the scene, police said.
The suspect was wearing a Halloween costume at the time of the attack, APD said.
A witness told police the man was dressed as a zombie with his face covered in makeup, according to KEYE.
People at the establishment also told police the man had caused a disturbance at the bar before Wednesday night’s stabbing, the outlet reported.
Grace was booked into the Travis County Jail and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.
