A bloody altercation unfolded at a North Austin LA Fitness on Friday morning when a 69-year-old man allegedly stabbed another gym member in the buttocks over an argument about gym equipment. The Austin Police Department reported that the incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. at the gym located at 2020 West Anderson Lane, as per KVUE.
The suspect, identified as John David Makinson, reportedly engaged in a dispute with the victim concerning a leg press machine before pulling out a folding knife, estimated to measure between 4 and 6 inches in length, and stabbing the victim. The scuffle didn't end there, after the initial attack, Makinson is said to have pursued the injured man through the locker room, while brandishing the weapon, according to CBS Austin.
Makinson, no stranger to law enforcement, was previously convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in 2021, police said. For Friday's incident, he faces a new second-degree felony charge. After fleeing the scene, he was apprehended by police officials behind the LA Fitness establishment and is currently held at the Travis County Jail under a $50,000 bond, the gym, shaken by the day's violence, was temporarily closed but is scheduled to reopen Saturday at 8 a.m.
