AUSTIN, Texas – A Travis County constable responded after residents within the West Gate neighborhood of South Austin stated a person has been utilizing a chainsaw and machete to chop down timber in the midst of the night time, and took a sledgehammer to metropolis property.
Residents within the Westgate neighborhood stated Rami Zawaideh has been chopping down timber, breaking metropolis property, making sculptures, threatening residents, and screaming early within the morning.
Zawaideh instructed FOX 7 he’s been doing all this to “take out satanism.”
“There’s nothing taking place within the woods, we’re a fairly calm, chill neighborhood,” Westgate Resident J.J. Pepper stated.
Residents have been calling for motion for about six months, wanting him out of their neighborhood.
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“This particular person seeing issues, so God is aware of what they may do to somebody that they don’t see as a result of they’re seeing one thing else,” Pepper stated.
Travis County Constable Precinct 3 Stacy Fits stated when an individual turns into a hazard to themselves or others, they’ll do an emergency dedication for a psychiatric analysis and be held and obtain remedy for 72 hours.
Fits stated Zawaideh has been on their radar since a minimum of April, and he’s been picked up earlier than and brought to a facility, however he escaped.
“It wasn’t a voluntary settlement for him to go away that facility,” Fits stated.
Man attacked with machete whereas strolling canine in Austin speaks out
Walker spent a day and a half within the hospital with wounds to his arm, again, and head. He needed to have surgical procedure for a ruptured artery in his arm.
Since, Zawaideh has been arrested, and he’s out on bond.
Fits stated Zawaideh must be in a remedy facility and prosecutors have to make a movement for an involuntary dedication, however there’s additionally no the place for him to go.
“If there’s no long-term remedy beds, then we’re sort of losing our time right here,” Fits stated.
Fits stated there aren’t any medical remedy beds out there in Austin and the waitlist in Texas for folks with psychological sickness and folks with mental disabilities to get a mattress is 2,500 folks.
“Placing them in jail just isn’t going to resolve the issue, they want housing, they usually want remedy,” Fits stated.
Fits stated he plans to testify on the legislature in February and use this case for example to point out the necessity for psychological well being remedy beds.
Residents hope for extra motion on homeless man with chainsaw
Residents within the Westgate and Stassney Lane space have been reporting sightings of a homeless man chopping down timber with a chainsaw in a close-by greenbelt.
“With the Texas legislature sitting on 33 billion {that a} substantial chunk of that must be put again into the psychological well being services,” Fits stated.
Residents stated they hope this can be a step in the best course.
“It’s very clear that there’s a downside right here in Austin and except we take steps to take one thing about it as these individuals are doing, which makes me very, very hopeful, in any other case we’re going to finish up like Portland, in any other case we’re going to finish up like these cities that individuals are flocking away from to stay right here,” Pepper stated.
Fits stated if Zawaideh is actively threatening with a knife or machete, name 911. Because the final report aired on FOX 7 about Zawaideh, a prison mischief report has been filed. No phrase on if he’s been arrested once more.
