911 caller: Man banged on windshield with knife after east Austin hit-and-run

AUSTIN (KXAN) – An Austin man was arrested and charged Monday in connection to an east Austin incident after a 911 caller said the man was on the hood of the caller’s car and banging on the windshield with a knife.

When officers arrived at the scene in the 3400 block of Ed Bluestein Boulevard, theyr said 42-year-old James Lawrence Palmer was standing next to his vehicle, which had crashed into a tree.

KXAN reached out to Palmer’s attorney. This article will be updated when we receive a statement.

Palmer was detained and frisked for weapons, according to an affidavit. When asked what led to his vehicle crashing into the tree, Palmer said the other vehicle ran him off the road.

Police spoke with the owner of the other vehicle. That person said he was driving in the left lane near the 400 block of Montopolis Drive when Palmer attempted to change lanes, bumped into his car and then ran back into him harder, which caused the man's car to spin out. The man said Palmer did not stop at the scene and continued driving.

The driver said he decided to go home, but then he saw Palmer’s vehicle pulled over in the 1300 block of Ed Bluestein Boulevard.

According to court records, the man tried to speak with Palmer, but he said Palmer began to run toward his vehicle with a knife. The man told police Palmer then began hitting the driver's window with the knife, which was described as a gray folding knife. Police said a gray folding knife was found inside Palmer’s vehicle during a search.

The victim said Palmer also stabbed his front left tire before heading back to his vehicle and leaving again.

“At this point [the victim] called 911 and attempted to keep Palmer in view while on the phone with the call taker,” court records said. “[The victim] stated he could not keep up well as his tire was going flat from Palmer stabbing it, but was able to see Palmer's Ford veer off the roadway and crash…”

The records said the victim stopped approximately 30 yards from Palmer’s vehicle while still on the phone with 911, and Palmer then ran up to the victim’s vehicle again with the knife and jumped on the hood of the vehicle, hitting the windshield and yelling.

According to records, the victim said Palmer only stopped and got off the hood when people began coming out of a nearby building to see what happened.

Palmer later told police he “wished to be honest” and said everything the victim told police was true.

“Palmer stated he was ‘99.9% wrong,’ but [the victim] started everything and he finished it,” records said.

The affidavit said Palmer claimed the victim did not let him merge into the lane but blamed the victim for the initial collision.

Palmer told police after the victim spun out, he fled the scene to get away from him. Palmer also said he pulled out his knife and was beating on the victim’s vehicle to make him leave.

Palmer faces three separate charges surrounding the incident: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, accident involving damage to a vehicle and criminal mischief equal to or greater than $100 but less than $750, according to jail records.

As of Wednesday, Palmer remained in the Travis County jail and was held on bonds totaling $30,000 for the three charges.