AUSTIN, Texas — One person is in a critical condition after a stabbing in West Campus in Central Austin on Monday morning.
The Austin Police Department said officers responded to the incident on West 22nd 1/2 and Rio Grande streets at around 11:53 a.m.
According to Austin-Travis County EMS, an adult was taken to a local trauma facility with critical, life-threatening injuries.
A suspect, Brian Baca, was arrested and booked into the Travis County Jail, APD said. He is charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
The stabbing happened right outside of Pluckers. People on the scene told KVUE there were customers inside. A University of Texas student said the area is typically filled with people experiencing homelessness, playing drums and generally having a good time.
"It's pretty scary that something like that could actually happen in such a close proximity," UT junior Race Chong said.
Chong lives just feet away from where the stabbing happened. While it happened on West Campus, he said both people involved were unhoused.
"Ran into one of the local homeless men," Chong said. "His name is Eric, or otherwise known as 'Bongo Man.' He said that he was so shocked and devastated by one of his close friends, and that it was a random homeless person that had done it. It was so awful and that they've never seen him."
Texas DPS documents show Baca has been arrested by Austin police, UT police and Travis County deputies at least 10 times for misdemeanors years ago. Now he's charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
"We've had so many students reach out to us, very concerned about the increased aggressive homeless population that's popped up, really even more since the majority of students have left for the summer," SafeHorns President Joell McNew said.
For the past two weeks, UT freshman have been on campus for orientation. McNew hopes the students are being educated on safety.
"Last Wednesday, there was an aggressive homeless person with a machete threatening to kill people," McNew said. "There's been a lot going on."
Chong said he will be moving more cautiously but wants people to know some of the students and the unhoused have formed a community.
"I think they should be acknowledged as people and not just things taking up space in the streets," Chong said.
Police said this was an isolated incident, and there is no ongoing threat to the public. UT Austin police said neither the suspect or the victim are affiliated with the university.