CMPD looking for person who kicked, punched woman unconscious on CATS bus
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police are investigating an assault on a CATS bus that left a 25-year-old woman unconscious on Friday, according to an incident report.
A person punched and kicked a woman at 8:03 a.m. in the 400 block of Centre Street.
The report said she was seriously injured, but did not receive medical treatment. She did not know the attacker, the report said.
Brett Baldeck, a spokesperson at CATS, said the agency could not confirm if the woman was knocked unconscious.
CATS said in an email that the woman got on the bus to “seek refuge” from a person following her. The person followed the woman onto the bus.
Baldeck said the woman was knocked down by the attacker and the driver notified authorities. The victim and the attacker got off the bus before police arrived, he said.
Crime on Charlotte public transit is rare, but when it does occur, it is most often on CATS buses, according to an analysis of crime data by The Charlotte Observer.
People riding Charlotte buses were seriously assaulted at least 31 times between 2020 and October 2025.
Fewer 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.
In March, a Kannapolis man was arrested after police said he got off a CATS bus and stabbed another man following an argument.
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 10:38 AM.
