Austin police say three times in the past few months panhandlers have gotten violent when people wouldn't turn over spare change. 

The most recent case was this weekend when a panhandler used a bandana with a metal pad lock attached as a weapon to hit a man over the head. 

Police say it's rare, but it's on the rise: panhandling that's aggressive and sometimes becomes violent. 

“All day long, every single day,” said Daniel Upton, who owns the Dandyland Tattoo Parlor in the middle of East 6^th Street's nightlife. It's about a block away from Austin's homeless shelter, ARCH.  “Basically, you've given (the homeless) a five-star hotel in the middle of downtown.”

Upton worries the shelter fuels the panhandling problem.

“I constantly have to kick them off my front steps.” he said.

When they're not on the front steps, they're often in the alley behind Upton's shop.

“They'll be back the second you turn your back. They're the ones out there panhandling aggressively for money,” he said.  

“It turns into more than just asking for money. They continue to follow you. They're in your face. They get very close to you,” said Senior Officer Veneza Aguinaga of APD.

Aguinaga says when someone continues to ask you for money, follows you, threatens you or makes you feel threatened, it's considered aggressive panhandling.

“Basically follow you and keep asking you and asking you until you have to give them something so that they will get away from you,” said Russel Adams of Austin.

It's not unusual in a large city.

“We're from Houston so we deal with it a lot, even the people who will come up to wash your windows,” said Candida Garcia, who’s visiting Austin from Houston, “You just have to give them a look, but I have seen them doing it here.”

Austin police have held several initiatives this year to crack down on the problem.

“That's going to be hard to stop around here I think. It's just a lot of homeless people,” said Cindy Maier of Austin.

Aggressive panhandling is a Class C Misdemeanor. According to Austin's Municipal Court records, police have issued more than 200 citations to aggressive panhandlers this year. The penalty is a fine.