Case of Twisted Tea Led to 2 Stabbings at Austin Coffee Shop

A 20-year-old man faces two counts of second-degree felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after a dispute over a case of Twisted Tea at an Austin coffee shop. The incident occurred on Oct. 28 and resulted in injuries to two patrons, according to an arrest affidavit.

Shankar Temple Grace entered the bar area of Buzz Mill Coffee on Town Creek Drive just before 9 p.m. carrying the alcoholic beverage. A customer stated that one of the victims told Grace he could not bring the drinks inside. Grace allegedly pulled a knife on the man, who then instructed another employee to call police. The suspect attempted to leave through the patio exit but was told to wait.

An altercation broke out as the first victim, Brian Mason, followed Grace through the double doors. Patric Tester, the second victim, tried to intervene. A witness described seeing Grace make a downward stabbing motion rather than a punching motion. The witness noted that Grace carried a knife with a five-to-six-inch blade as he fled the scene east through the patio.

Police received a separate call about a crash at the intersection of Tillery Street and Govalle Avenue, roughly three miles from the coffee shop. A small white truck had struck a self-driving Robotaxi while traveling at high speed. Officers located a white 2019 Nissan Frontier with a white shell on the bed, matching the vehicle described by witnesses at the coffee shop.

Officers found the driver near the Millennium Youth Center at Rosewood Avenue and Walnut Avenue. They detained Grace, who was wearing the same blood-stained or makeup-stained tattered shirt seen on camera footage. The shirt had the number 666 handwritten on the lower portion. Police also found a folding knife with a six-inch blade in his possession.

Grace was transported to the hospital and later booked into the Travis County Jail. During his hospitalization, he told officers that the two victims fought him first and that he was defending himself. He reportedly stated that it was just a fight and he happened to have a knife. His bond was set at $100,000.

Mason was stabbed in the neck and ribcage. He underwent emergency surgery and a blood transfusion and is listed in stable condition in the trauma ICU. Tester was stabbed in the abdomen and groin area. His injuries are not life-threatening, and he is receiving medical care in stable condition. Both men were working security or present for a comedy show at the time of the incident.