Second Stabbing Incident Once Thought Related To UT-Austin Attack Was Fabricated Tale: Police

AUSTIN, TX — The report of a second stabbing in the West Campus area the same day of a fatal knifing attack on University of Texas at Austin grounds on Monday was a fabrication, police said Wednesday.

Austin interim Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters Wednesday afternoon the victim of the other stabbing occurring a couple of hours after the UT-Austin rampage by a suspect that claimed the life of a student was unrelated. What's more, the wound to the leg in the separate incident was self-inflicted—not caused by an attacker as the victim initially claimed.

The incident occurred along the 2600 block of Nueces around 3 p.m. The victim stated he got into a confrontation with a unknown male after he observed the male threaten an unknown female with a knife. After he intervened, the man said he was stabbed by the male suspect—a story that has since been debunked by police as false.

The report helped fuel rumors on Monday of an orchestrated attack on UT-Austin students at various locations. While it's true the man reporting being stabbed was hurt by a knife, it was due to his own mishandling of the implement rather than part of the attack as the person had originally claimed.

The person stabbed opted to have friends drive him to the hospital, where he related his fictitious tale to police about an hour after the supposed stabbing. The unidentified man making the claim now faces a charge of giving a false report to a police officer, Manley said.

UT freshman Harrison Brown died of his injuries in the attack on campus this week, while three others were injured. Fellow student Kendrex J. White, 21, has since been charged with murder.

Related stories:

Police Seek Public's Help Locating Suspect In Downtown Austin Stabbing

UT Austin Campus Stabbing: Student Killed, 3 Others Injured In Attack

Watch Manley addressing this matter with reporters below:

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