A 31-year-old man who police say confessed to stabbing an innocent passenger on a CapMetro bus has a criminal record dating back to 2016, primarily consisting of misdemeanors, according to online Travis County court documents.
The Austin Police Association has expressed frustration following the arrest of Deepak Kandel.
“For officers, this whole situation is indicative of the frustration that everybody feels. We put in the work, we go out there, we try to hold people accountable, and then prosecutors do absolutely nothing.” — Michael Bullock, President of the Austin Police Association
The Texas Police Municipal Association also weighed in:
“This is what happens when soft-on-crime policies let violent offenders roam our streets….When weak prosecution meets violent repeat offenders, the outcome is tragic—and too often fatal.“
Travis and El Paso County attorneys have jointly filed a lawsuit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office. The legal challenge contests new reporting requirements for local prosecutors, arguing they are overly burdensome and risk exposing sensitive case details. Paxton, a Republican, implemented the rule in March, stating it aims to ensure the prosecution of violent criminals and address concerns about lenient approaches in urban counties.
Paxton called the four plaintiffs “rogue DAs” and the lawsuit “meritless.”
Officials in Elgin responded to reports of shots fired overnight.
Darius Hatcher, 26, was apprehended this Wednesday by the Austin Police Department for the double homicide of Kendrick Park and Shamar Roach. The two men were fatally shot on April 20 in a parking garage at the Aldrich 51 Apartments in the Mueller district.
APD announced the arrest of a suspect in both a murder that occurred in March and also a subsequent shooting ten days later.
Authorities need help locating a suspect involved in a crash last week who did not stop to render assistance.
A San Marcos man is facing a felony charge for allegedly attempting to take upskirt photos of a female customer in a Walmart three weeks ago.
The Hutto Police Department posted their activity numbers for April.
Hays County authorities are making Narcan available to the public at no charge. The drug, also known as naloxone, is a treatment designed to rapidly reverse the effects of a life-threatening opioid emergency.
Some residents in a central Austin neighborhood woke up the other morning to find their tires had been slashed.
A Travis County judge heard arguments Thursday in a pivotal case concerning the proposed redevelopment of the former Austin American-Statesman site. The project, which could dramatically alter Austin’s skyline on the south shore of Lady Bird Lake, awaits a judicial decision. (Austin Business Journal)
Travis County is being sued by the state of Texas over 148-acre landfill off Highway 290.
TxDOT is reminding motorists of a closure this weekend in San Marcos:
A city of Austin memo revealed the city’s next steps as it works to address a backlog of vehicles that have unpaid active civil parking violations that have resulted in “nearly $7.4 million in unpaid fines.”
The Zilker Loop, a free, air-conditioned shuttle service from the Stratford parking lot to popular Zilker Park amenities, like Zilker Metropolitan Playground, Barton Creek and Barton Springs Pool begins service next week, May 24th.
And speaking of Zilker Park…
This Sunday, May 18, the park’s beloved mini train, the Zilker Eagle, is offering free rides to mark “National Mini Train Day.”
Starting June 1, Travis County residents can text TCBURNBAN to 888777 to receive free, timely updates when a burn ban is issued, when one is lifted and when a Red Flag Warning is issued during high fire danger conditions. (KVUE-TV)
Central Texas saw storms Friday evening that produced hail and damaging winds in some areas.
Photos: Frank Strovel III
KXAN-TV‘s Nick Bannin reported 66 mph winds in Burnet at the airport around 8:40 p.m. He also reported there was golf ball size hail in Leander shortly after 9 p.m.
WEATHER
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
SpaceX has received approval to launch the world’s most powerful rocket 25 times a year from South Texas. (Austin American-Statesman)
The number of measles cases in the U.S. has risen to over 1,000 cases, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Friday. (KXAN-TV)
But it looks like the rate of confirmed cases in Texas is slowing as only one new case has been reported in the last few days.
Another Bexar County deputy has been arrested for allegedly allowing inmates to attack each other.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department have made motorized track wheelchairs available for visitors with mobility challenges.
Action tracks are available at five different parks and eco rovers are at McKinney Falls, Government Canyon, Estero, Dino Valley, Cedar Hill, and Brazos Bend. (Texas Public Radio)
The Trump administration’s inconsistent tariff policies, taxes on imported goods, have caused harm to Texas businesses, with nearly 60% of owners reporting negative impacts in a recent Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas survey. (Texas Tribune)
A new investigation by Consumer Reports found that the grocery chain Kroger, which has 210 stores in Texas, was advertising sale prices – but charging full price at checkout. (Consumer Reports)
Texas saw an increase in initial unemployment filings last week, according to Thursday’s report from the U.S. Department of Labor. New jobless claims, a measure of layoffs, rose to 16,635 in the week ending May 10, up from 16,436 the previous week. (Amarillo Globe-News)
The Texas House passed Friday a bill requiring prisons to have air conditioning by the end of 2032.
What are the Texas Legislature’s session deadlines? (KXAN-TV)
An effort to move Dallas elections to November stalled in the Texas Legislature. (Dallas Morning News)
The so-called “Trey’s Law” banning NDAs for sexual assault cases has passed another hurdle on its way to becoming law.
Meteorologists in Texas are sounding the alarm about proposed budget cuts at the NWS and NOAA.
SPORTS
COLLEGE BASEBALL: Down to its final two outs, No. 3 Texas loaded the bases, but its ninth-inning rally came up short to Oklahoma, 8-6, on Friday night at L. Dale Mitchell Park. (Texas Longhorns)
The series and the regular season itself come to a close today in Norman.
MLB: Christian Walker hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run seventh inning for the Houston Astros on Friday night in their 6-3 win over Texas that ended the Rangers’ six-game winning streak. (Yahoo! News)
MLS: Austin FC will play the second of three home matches in eight days tonight when the VERDE & Black take on Vancouver Whitecaps at 7:30 p.m. CT at Q2 Stadium. (Austin FC)
The Stars can punch their ticket to the Western Conference Finals with a win at home tonight.
Today, I give you…Liberty.
Liberty is one of the oldest towns in Southeast Texas.
