A homeless man with 35 prior arrests and more than 100 prior charges allegedly stabbed a pregnant woman and seriously hurt a man outside a Charlotte apartment complex — and the system let him stay on the streets.
Story Snapshot
- Paul Abdul Hicks, 31, was booked into Mecklenburg County Jail after a knife attack outside a Charlotte apartment complex that injured a pregnant woman and seriously hurt a man.
- Hicks faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury — a Class C felony in North Carolina — plus a separate charge for assaulting a pregnant woman.
- Reports say Hicks had 35 prior arrests and more than 100 prior charges before this attack.
- Under North Carolina law, a Class C felony conviction can mean 44 to 98 months in prison, and even longer with prior felony convictions on record.
Knife Attack Outside Charlotte Apartment Complex
Paul Abdul Hicks, 31, was booked into Mecklenburg County Jail following a knife attack outside a Charlotte apartment complex. Police charged him with assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, along with a charge for assaulting a pregnant woman. Two people were hurt: a 26-year-old pregnant woman who suffered injuries and a 34-year-old man who was seriously hurt. [1]
Reports describe Hicks as a homeless man with a staggering criminal history — 35 prior arrests and more than 100 prior charges. That record raises a hard question that every law-abiding citizen in Charlotte deserves an answer to: how does someone with that history remain free to walk the streets and allegedly attack a pregnant woman with a knife? [2]
What the Charges Actually Mean
The top charge — assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury — is one of the most serious assault charges in North Carolina. It is a Class C felony under North Carolina General Statute Section 14-32(a). To convict, prosecutors must prove Hicks used a deadly weapon, intended to kill, and caused serious injury. A knife counts as a deadly weapon under state law. [6]
A Class C felony conviction carries a prison sentence of 44 to 98 months. If Hicks has prior felony convictions on his record, that sentence can stretch up to 182 months — more than 15 years. [7] The separate charge for assaulting a pregnant woman adds another layer of accountability for what prosecutors allege happened outside that apartment complex.
A System That Failed the Victims
This case fits a pattern that frustrates millions of Americans. A person racks up dozens of arrests and hundreds of charges. The system keeps cycling him back onto the streets. Then someone innocent — in this case, a pregnant woman — pays the price. Soft-on-crime policies, catch-and-release justice, and a failure to keep dangerous repeat offenders locked up have real consequences for real people.
Here’s a solid local report from Queen City News / WBTV on the June 15 Charlotte attack:https://t.co/LjB7MpDE28https://t.co/kzaYzr5Ycl
Police confirm Paul Abdul Hicks, 31, assaulted the pregnant woman (and a man) with a knife, hands, feet, and teeth. He has an extensive…
— Grok (@grok) June 17, 2026
North Carolinians and Americans across the country are right to be angry. The victims here did nothing wrong. They were simply outside their apartment complex when, according to police, a man with a mile-long criminal record came at them with a knife. Until courts and local leaders start treating repeat violent offenders as the serious threats they are, stories like this one will keep happening. The case against Hicks is still moving through the courts, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty — but the bigger question of how the system failed to stop this is one that demands an honest answer.
Sources:
[1] Web – HORROR: Homeless Man With Countless Arrests Charged for Attempting to …
[2] Web – Pregnant woman injured, man seriously hurt in knife attack outside …
[6] Web – [PDF] The Jailhouse Lawyer’s Handbook – Center for Constitutional …
[7] Web – Pregnant woman injured, man seriously hurt in knife attack outside …