Aggressive panhandler attacks man with knife, police say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said they’ve arrested a man dozens of times for aggressive panhandling.

Shawn Wade was also charged Monday night after police said he tried to stab someone.

Two men in a vehicle were stopped at a light on East Independence Boulevard at Village Lake Drive when Wade came after them.

“And then he keeps kicking the car,” victim Thien La said. “He kept kicking the front bumper.”

La wasn't sure why the man who'd been holding a cardboard sign was attacking their car and when they got out to tell him to stop, Wade pulled a knife.

“He started, like, cussing and he kept walking and then he pulled a knife out,” La said.

Police in the area know Wade very well.

“In the past, we've dealt with him,” Sgt. Chris Rorie said. “He likes to solicit from the median.”

Rorie said Wade is a regular panhandler along East Independence Boulevard and they've arrested him almost 40 times in the last three years, most of them for panhandling and at least three times for attacking people.

"The guy was asking for money,” witness Franklin Kenan said. “I kept telling him, ‘No.’”

Kenan witnessed an attack in June when Wade followed a man onto a city bus and slashed him with something sharp.

“It was like a beer bottle or a soda bottle, or something,” Kenan said.

That victim did not show up for court and the charges were dismissed.

Police said if you are uncomfortable with a panhandler, stay in your vehicle and lock the doors.

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