Fight that started on CATS bus led to stabbing outside, then arrest, officials say
A Kannapolis man accused of stabbing another man after a fight on a Charlotte Area Transit System bus on Saturday was charged with assault, according to court records.
Micah Ragin, 31, is accused of stabbing the other man in the knee with a kitchen knife, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said in an affidavit filed in court.
CATS said the stabbing did not occur on the bus.
“The bus operator pulled over in response to a disturbance on board and asked passengers to exit the vehicle. Passengers complied,” an unnamed CATS spokesperson said in an email for this story. “We do have cameras both inside and on the exterior of the bus.”
The stabbing victim told police Ragin got back on the bus after throwing the knife away in a creek.
Police located the bus in the 4500 block of Central Avenue with Ragin still riding. Ragin admitted to being in a physical altercation, but not the stabbing, the affidavit said.
CATS bus security footage showed the fight, as well as Ragin stabbing the man in the knee with a knife he pulled out of a bag, the affidavit said. Footage also showed Ragin throwing the knife into a creek. Officers later recovered the knife.
Ragin was being held with bond set at $20,000, according to court records.
Safety concerns on CATS buses in Charlotte
Crime rarely occurs on Charlotte public transit, but CATS buses see the most trouble, according to an analysis of crime data by The Charlotte Observer.
Between 2020 and October 2025, people riding Charlotte buses were seriously assaulted at least 31 times.
Less than 1% of violent crimes that happen within a quarter of a mile of CATS bus or light rail routes or stops actually involve transit.
