Man in Zombie Makeup Stabs Two at Austin Coffee Shop Before Fleeing in Crash

Shankar Temple Grace, 20, faced a wall of charges after allegedly stabbing two patrons inside The Buzz Mill coffee shop and bar in Austin, Texas. The attack occurred Wednesday night, just moments before a local comedy show was set to start. Witnesses described the suspect in a state of high agitation, his face covered in zombie makeup as part of a Halloween costume.

The violence escalated quickly. Police responded to what they classified as a "disturbance hot shot," a designation reserved for rapidly escalating altercations posing an immediate threat to life or serious physical harm. First responders arrived to find one victim suffering from life-threatening injuries and another with non-life-threatening wounds. Both were rushed to a hospital, where authorities last reported them in stable condition.

Grace did not stay for the aftermath. He fled the scene in a pickup truck, speeding away until he crashed into an unoccupied autonomous vehicle. The Austin Police Department launched a manhunt that stretched roughly three miles from the coffee shop. Officers eventually cornered the suspect on a walking trail.

People inside the establishment told police the man had already caused a disturbance at the bar before the stabbing. His behavior appeared unpredictable and aggressive, leading to the rapid escalation of violence.

Grace was booked into the Travis County Jail. Prosecutors charged him with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Each charge carries the weight of a second-degree felony, reflecting the severity of the attack on those present at The Buzz Mill that evening.