Juvenile accused of stabbing 12-year-old boy several times on Charlotte school bus

CHARLOTTE — A 12-year-old boy is recovering at home after his family said he was stabbed multiple times on a Charlotte school bus.

It happened Friday afternoon as buses were lining up outside Aristotle Preparatory Academy, a charter school in northwest Charlotte.

Seventh grader James Love III had just started at the charter school this year after his family pulled him out of a Charlotte-Mecklenburg school, saying they didn’t like the crowd.

Now, they may be taking him out of the charter school as well, days after taking him home from the hospital.

ALSO READ: Boy hospitalized after fight at Statesville HS; 5 teens identified as suspects, police say

Up until last week, he was liking his new school, except for one other student who he said had been giving him trouble.

“I told the principal that he be messing with other kids and especially me, and I don’t like the way he’s treating other people,” Love said. “He would ... hit me or talk about people.”

Love said after school, that talk turned into a serious fight.

“On the bus, he had slapped me. I slapped him back, he started fighting me, he got mad, and that’s when he started stabbing me,” he said.

Love said he was stabbed seven times and had the scars to prove it, including 31 stiches on wounds in his leg, torso, back and head.

“So I ran inside the school building and then that’s when I seen something red on my face, and I wiped it and there was blood on my hand,” the 12-year-old said. “That’s when I started freaking out because I didn’t know what to do, because it was a lot of blood.”

Despite the trauma, Sandra Love, James Love’s grandmother, told Channel 9 that doctors at the hospital found no arteries or organs were punctured. They said Love is handling it well.

“And James didn’t want to see us because he wanted them to clean them up and stitch him up first; and he was talking about what a trooper he was,” said Sandra Love.

ALSO READ: Parents call on local district to increase safety after student uses pepper spray in fight

The Loves are smiling now, but they know it could have been worse. They said the school handled the incident well, but feel it could have responded better when they first complained about the other child.

“As a parent, you shouldn’t have to worry about when you send your kids off to school, whether they’re going to come home alive or not, you know?” said Sandra Love.

James Love is still at home. Doctors may clear him to return this week, but his family said he’s concerned about returning to school.

School officials at Aristotle Preparatory Academy confirmed the other student who allegedly attacked Love is not allowed to return to campus.

The school responded Tuesday night saying, “We have a zero-tolerance policy for violence or threats of any kind to students, staff, or the school. The safety of all students, staff, and families while on our campus is a top priority.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said the juvenile was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill, and misdemeanor possession of a weapon at school.

(WATCH BELOW: Fight at bus stop leads to deadly shooting in Concord, police say)