One person was killed and three others were injured in a South Austin stabbing Friday morning that authorities said was a random attack.
One person believed responsible for the attack has been taken into Austin police custody, officials said.
Austin-Travis County EMS medics responded to the 500 block of South Congress Avenue, just south of Riverside Drive, at 8:12 a.m. It happened in a shopping center that is home to a Freebirds World Burrito restaurant and offices.
Authorities said they believe the stabbing was a random attack by a despondent man. The man was detained by bystanders in the shopping center.
The man ran inside a business and started stabbing people, authorities said. He then got on the roof of the building and jumped. The man is in critical condition, authorities said.
Stacy Romine, who lives at the Crescent behind Bennu Coffee, said she was inside the coffee shop when a man who looked like he was in his 20s and was acting erratic assaulted an elderly man with an unknown object.
Multiple people, including an Austin police officer, jumped on top of the man to try to stop him from assaulting the elderly man, Romine said.
Romine grabbed a cart to try and block the man from leaving the coffee shop.
Romine said the man made it outside, where he climbed on top of the roof of Freebirds World Burrito, which is a few doors down from the coffee shop. He then jumped head first from the roof, she said.
“You can hear a sound of his neck breaking and then he didn’t move,” Romine said. “They tried to do CPR but he didn’t move.”
Alex Buscemi, who also lives at the Crescent, said he saw the man jump head first off of the building.
“I heard, ‘Freeze, police,’ ” Buscemi said. “I saw the police try to climb a ladder onto the roof and then he jumped.”
Medics said that a man described as being in his 20s was pronounced dead in the stabbing. Two other men, one described as being in his 50s and one described as being in his 20s, were hospitalized with possibly life-threatening injuries, medics said.
Medics performed CPR on at least two people, they said.
“Avoid the area,” medics said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Staff writer Tony Plohetski contributed to this report.
Officials say man then accessed roof of building and jumped and is now in critical condition.
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) January 3, 2020
Suspect is in custody. At this time, no other known suspects are outstanding. More information to follow when available. https://t.co/8pL9ioG5DI
— Austin Police Department (@Austin_Police) January 3, 2020
FINAL 500blk S Congress Ave: #ATCEMSMedics have regained pulses on 2nd patient with CPR from traumatic arrest. Transporting ~20s male to local trauma center with critical life threatening injuries. 4th patient is a refusal. EMS is clearing the scene. No further info available.
— ATCEMS (@ATCEMS) January 3, 2020
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