Edward Koubek, 45, has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with the incident.


Author: Jeff Bell, Britny Eubank, Johann Castro


Published: 5:38 PM CDT July 1, 2026


Updated: 5:38 PM CDT July 1, 2026




AUSTIN, Texas — A man is facing charges after he allegedly stabbed a local church leader multiple times at a Downtown Austin restaurant on Saturday night.

According to the Austin Police Department (APD), the incident happened at Bob’s Steak & Chop House, located at 301 Lavaca St., around 10:30 p.m. on June 27.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found a man suffering from multiple stab wounds. The Diocese of Austin later identified him as Rev. Jairo Sandoval, a pastor at San Jose Catholic Church.



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Officers also found the suspect, identified as 45-year-old Edward Koubek, inside the restaurant and took him into custody. Koubek worked as a waiter at the restaurant.

The diocese said Sandoval was having dinner with parishioners and was “assaulted as he was ready to leave.” Investigators believe Koubek, who was known to the pastor though church, approached and attacked him with a steak knife.

Witnesses restrained Koubek until he fled to the back of the restaurant, where officers detained him, police said.

According to an arrest affidavit, Koubek told police that he had been going to San Jose Catholic Church since 2018, and believed that Sandoval would snicker at Koubek whenever he would give confession. Koubek then explained when he saw Sandoval at the restaurant, it upset him because he was still holding a grudge against him.

Koubek allegedly admitted to police that he stabbed Sandoval with a knife he grabbed from the kitchen area of the restaurant. He then claimed that he paced back and forth before committing the act, and believed he stabbed Sandoval three or four times in the neck. He then told police that his intention in the moment was to kill Sandoval.

Koubek has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a second-degree felony.

Sandoval was taken to a local hospital with serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The diocese said as of Tuesday morning, he is still in the hospital, but he is expected to make a full recovery.