5 Stabbed In Downtown Austin Knifing Attack

AUSTIN, TX — Police responded to a report of multiple stabbings overnight that left at least three people injured, officials confirmed on Friday.

The incidents began at around 11:24 p.m. along the 600 block of Neches Street within a 30-minute time frame, police said. Upon arrival, a transient woman named Raecala Morris, 33, was placed under arrest for the stabbing spree that police said left at least three victims. Surveillance cameras show two more victims who have yet to be identified, police added.

No fatalities resulted from the knifing attack, police noted.

Morris is in custody at the Travis County Jail, police said, but a booking photo was not immediately available. Police provided more details during a 2 p.m. press conference (see video below).

Gov. Greg Abbott — who has been vocal in decrying the lifting of camping bans for homeless people by city council members — seized on the incident to lambaste Austin policies as it relates to enforcement of homeless rules. The governor posted a statement on his website in reaction to last night's stabbing spree by a woman police categorized as "transient" if not full-fledged homeless in reiterating his claims such violence is somehow rooted in relaxed rules as city council members seek to decriminalize homelessness.

"City of Austin leaders have allowed lawlessness throughout the capital city that is resulting in violence against Austin residents, including those who are homeless," Abbott wrote. "Last night’s tragedy that left three injured is just the most recent instance of this violence. This rise in violence has corresponded with the revocation of the camping ban that the Austin City Council passed in June. Public endangerment and murder can no longer be tolerated because of the actions — and inactions — by city officials. Mayor Adler and the City Council should reinstate the camping ban and restore the rule of law in Austin. The city’s gamble on these reckless policies has been a loser and must end now."

The overnight knifing attack comes three weeks after one person was killed and two others injured when a man described as homeless stabbed a pair of workers at a Freebirds World Burrito store at 515 S. Congress. Dylan Woodburn, 27, jumped to his death from the roof of the eatery after stabbing two employees — including one mortally — following an earlier attack on a third person at a nearby coffee shop.

Related story: Austin Stabbing Leaves 1 Dead, 3 Injured

Police later said the man was homeless, a status Abbott had predicted in a tweet mere hours after the fatal attack. But Patch checked the Homeless Management Information System — a local information technology system used to collect client-level data and data on the provision of housing and services to homeless individuals and families and persons at risk of homelessness — where no evidence exists the recent Austin transplant had availed himself of services or resources catering to the homeless.

In a recent interview, a source who works with the homeless population in Austin theorized Woodburn was, at most, a so-called "diversion case," a person with whom those helping transient populations would seek to help enter a shelter or reconnect with friends or family. But there are no records on the Homeless Management Information System showing he ever availed himself of any services or resources designed to help those living on the streets.

As police continue to investigate the latest violent incident, detectives ask anyone that may have witnessed this incident or has video footage to please call the Aggravated Assault Unit at 512-974-5245. People may also contact Crime Stoppers at 512-472-TIPS or use the new Crime Stoppers App. Those with information also can submit tips by downloading APD’s mobile app, Austin PD, for free on iPhone and Android.