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CATS bus driver hospitalized after assault in northwest Charlotte

A 60-year-old CATS driver was hospitalized after being assaulted along Ashley Road near I-85 on Tuesday, the police report states.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A CATS bus driver was sent to the hospital after being assaulted in northwest Charlotte Tuesday, according to a Charlotte-Mecklenburg police report. 

The report states the alleged attack happened at the intersection of Ashley Road and Tuckaseegee Road, just off Freedom Drive around 3:30 p.m. The driver, a 60-year-old woman, was taken to a hospital with minor injuries, CMPD said. 

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The incident is being investigated as a simple assault. The driver has not been identified at this time. CMPD said a suspect has been identified and was issued a citation and a court date.

WCNC Charlotte has reached out to the Charlotte Area Transit System for a statement. 

This is the first reported CATS operator assault since the deadly shooting of Ethan Rivera in Uptown back in February. Darian Dru Thavychith, the man charged with shooting and killing Rivera, was arrested in Kansas on March 1.

According to data from CATS following Rivera's shooting, there had been 57 assaults on CATS operators since 2017, including two shootings.  

Any person with information about this incident or any other is asked to call CMPD's Crime Stoppers tip line at 704-334-1600. 

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