Austin police: Panhandling is legal, but threats and violence can make it a crime

AUSTIN, Texas — A deadly confrontation near Interstate 35 in northeast Austin is highlighting the line between legal panhandling and behavior that police say can become a crime.

Austin police said Zachary Page was asking drivers for spare change on July 24 at the intersection of the I-35 frontage road and Tech Ridge Boulevard when he began banging on a vehicle’s window. Investigators said Page later used a pocketknife to break the window, and the driver inside shot and killed him.

The driver is not facing charges…

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