CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A man is facing felony attempted first-degree murder charges following a violent assault on a CATS bus in Charlotte that has left a 64-year-old man critically injured, according to Mecklenburg County court documents.
The alleged attack happened on March 6, 2025, between 6 a.m. and 9:49 a.m. Surveillance footage shows Moses Early, 29, boarded the bus at the transit center on Sugar Creek Road at 6:50 a.m.. Later, the victim got on the bus around 7:40 a.m., sat near Early, and the two briefly interacted. What seemed like a casual conversation quickly turned into a heated argument.
According to court documents, the situation escalated when the victim reached for Early’s bookbag. Without warning, Early stood up and reportedly violently attacked the victim.
He allegedly struck the victim with a knee to the head, causing him to fall unconscious to the ground. But the assault didn’t stop there. Documents state Early continued to kick and stomp on the victim while he was motionless on the floor.
Afterward, records state Early calmly grabbed his bookbag, returned to his seat, and stayed on the bus until it made its next stop at 1210 N. Tryon Street.
There, he reportedly got off the CATS bus and left the scene.
Realizing that one of his passengers was seriously injured, authorities said the bus driver continued to the next stop and called 911. Medic arrived at the scene and transported the victim to Novant Main hospital, where doctors confirmed that he had suffered a broken neck and severe spinal injuries.
As of March 10, 2025, the victim was in the hospital in critical condition.
CMPD detectives worked quickly to identify the suspect using surveillance footage from the CATS bus. They later showed images of Early to staff at the Charlotte Men’s Shelter, where they received confirmation that the suspect was Early.
CMPD detectives also found photos of Early wearing the same clothes from the bus attack on his social media and even cross-referenced an arrest photo from 2024.
Early has since been arrested and charged with felony attempted first-degree murder. This case is due back in court on April 1, 2025.
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