EXCLUSIVE ON FOX: The suspect in last week’s Charlotte bus stabbing had been in and out of jail twice this year, most recently released on bond in October, before allegedly stabbing a man in the chest during a city bus ride, according to jail records.
James Calvin Bennett, 57, was taken into custody in Mecklenburg County Jail twice this year before his arrest on November 7. He now faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and indecent exposure.
The victim, Jose “Frenchie” Mulongo, narrowly survived after sustaining several stab wounds, including one perilously close to his heart, as detailed in a police affidavit.
Bennett has been arrested a total of 15 times since 2022, with his booking photos recorded in November, September, and May 2025, according to court documents. (iStock, Mecklenburg County Jail)
The bus driver reported recognizing Bennett as a homeless individual who often used shelters along her route. She informed police that Bennett had been following Mulongo up and down the bus before the alleged stabbing, a detail confirmed by surveillance footage, according to detectives.
Additional witnesses recounted hearing an altercation and observing Mulongo attempting to evade the attacker before the incident occurred.
Another passenger told police he saw Bennett with an open container of alcohol and a large kitchen knife with a black blade.
In this excerpt from Bennett’s pretrial release agreement signed on Oct. 20, he initialed a line pledging to “abide by all laws.” Within days of his release, he allegedly masturbated in front of a woman on a Charlotte bus and then allegedly stabbed a man near the heart. (Mecklenburg District Court)
After the stabbing, at least one bystander intervened and separated the victim from his attacker. Bennett allegedly fled on foot, but police caught him hours later wearing the same bloody clothes, according to court documents.
“Bennett has a lengthy criminal history to include being charged with assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting serious injury with intent to kill [and] inflicting serious injury,” a detective wrote in the affidavit. “He pled guilty to a lesser offense, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury.”
Upon his arrest, Bennett invoked his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent, according to the affidavit, but then allegedly told the detective, “You’ve got to have a knife if you can keep me here, you got to have one.”
Bennett in yet another, undated mugshot photo. (Mecklenburg District Court)
About 20 minutes later, the detective overheard him sobbing.
After his arrest in the stabbing case, a detective recognized him from an incident four days earlier in which a woman reported a man masturbating while staring at her on another bus.
Bennett was charged with larceny in May and released a day later on $5,000 bond.
In September, police picked him up again on charges of robbery, domestic violence and making threats. He posted $25,000 bond and was released on Oct. 21.
A deeper examination of court records found 15 cases against him in the Mecklenburg, Robeson and Wake District Courts going back to 2022.
He is now being held without bail on the attempted murder charge.
The city has faced intense scrutiny over low bail for repeat offenders in the wake of another public transit stabbing, the August murder of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old pizzeria worker stabbed in the neck from behind on a commuter train.
Iryna Zarutska curls up in fear as a man looms over her moments before he attacked her with a knife on a Charlotte, N.C., light rail train. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)
On Aug. 22, a mentally ill suspect with a history of more than a dozen prior charges named Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, allegedly killed Zarutska in an unprovoked attack caught on video.
