CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The man accused of severely beating up a company police officer outside of the Charlotte Transit Center in uptown last week will appear in court on Monday.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said that 49-year-old Reginald Lewis Alexander assaulted Jeff Outen, 50, who works for a company called G4S, across the street from the Spectrum Center Friday evening.
[SLIDESHOW: Police presence at Charlotte transit center]
(Reginald Lewis Alexander)
Outen was punched in the head multiple times, hit his head on the concrete and was knocked unconscious as Alexander continued to hit him, officers said.
(Jefferey
Outen
)
Outen, a 26-year veteran police officer, suffered a broken nasal bone and a damaged orbital socket, officials said. He was taken to a hospital and is expected to be OK.
[RELATED: Safety becomes issue at Charlotte transit center as complaints mount]
Chopper 9 Skyzoom flew over the scene where a heavy police presence could be seen on Fourth Street.
Investigators said Alexander was loitering when Outen told him to leave multiple times. Alexander left briefly before returning, authorities said.
Police said Alexander pummeled the officer trying to fend off an arrest.
“Anything can happen at any time,” said a witness who didn’t want to be identified. “Nothing's safe anymore.”
The crime scene unfolded just after rush hour in the heart of uptown and, for hours, officers shut down surrounding streets while working to steer the city's buses through the chaos.
Investigators told Channel 9 the officer was covered in blood.
Other witnesses said the fight continued for several minutes.
“The man just came back and assaulted him real bad,” witness Jayla Ware said.
“Basically, it was on both ends,” witness Thomas Smith said.
Officials said Alexander was arrested and charged with assault inflicting serious injury on a law enforcement officer.
Last summer, Channel 9 investigated crime around the transit center.
[RELATED: 9 Investigates rise in crime at uptown Transit Center]
In the first six months of 2017, more than 100 crimes were reported at or within one block of the transit center. Most crimes were thefts, but there were a couple more serious cases, including an assault and a stabbing.
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