2 stabbed downtown, as crime on decline

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Austin Police Department is investigating a stabbing in the heart of downtown. It happened at the corner of Sixth St. and Brazos St. Sunday at 2:00 a.m., just as bars were closing. Two people were hurt, and police say one has life-threatening injuries.

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Security manager at Buffalo Billiards on E. Sixth St., Shelton Smith, says he and other workers heard about the stabbing as they were closing down for the night. Smith says he's often one of the first to see if things are getting out of control outside.

"We see it quite a bit here," he said, "Alcohol affects people differently, and some people can't handle it and end up doing something they shouldn't down here."
 
But in recent months, workers in the E. Sixth and other downtown areas have seen less crime, and APD has numbers to back that up. According to an APD report released just two weeks ago, violent crimes downtown, including robbery and aggravated assault, are down 53 percent from January 2012 to January 2013. Austin police credit increased patrols and the use of HALO cameras for the drop.

"Cameras [are] everywhere now," said Smith, "And they can deter a lot of crime that's been happening."

Police say while the HALO camera don't necessarily prevent crimes, they do help catch criminals. Also, along with help from Austin Energy, APD was able to put in 25 bigger, brighter lights around downtown.

For people like Smith, despite the stabbing in the early hours Sunday, they hope the declining crime trend continues.

"So far it hasn't hurt our business, and I don't think it's hurt any businesses at all. Most people working the door like me are usually on top of it," said Smith.

While violent crime in the E. Sixth St. and Brazos St. area is down so far this year compared to last year, there have been a number of crimes in the past month. There have been four aggravated assaults, 18 other assaults , one reported rape, and 47 thefts. In 2012 at this time, there were 32 assaults, including one aggravated case with a car used as a weapon.