CMPD: Suspect arrested in Kansas in murder of CATS bus driver Ethan Rivera

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The man wanted in connection with the shooting death of CATS bus driver Ethan Rivera has been taken into custody, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said.

According to CMPD, 21-year-old Darian Dru Thavychith, wanted for murder and shooting into occupied property for the Feb. 11 shooting in uptown Charlotte that led to Rivera’s death, was arrested early Tuesday morning by the Shawnee, Kansas Police Department.

The arrest came after a two-week manhunt that went through North Carolina, Tennessee, Kansas and Colorado, CMPD officials said.

“We’ve received a bright ray of sunshine in an otherwise cloudy and dark couple of weeks for the CATS family,” CATS CEO John Lewis said Tuesday morning. “We are one step closer to justice for Ethan Rivera.”

Officers from the Shawnee, Kansas Police Department say they were summoned to a gas station in the city around 11 p.m. on Feb. 28 to assist the public.

Shawnee officers learned that Thavychith, the person they were contacting, had an active felony warrant for their arrest out of Charlotte, N.C.

Thavychith was arrested without incident and taken to the Johnson County, Kansas adult detention center to await extradition.

Authorities said there were no injuries in the apprehension of Thavychith. According to the CMPD, there was no indication that he knew Rivera prior to the shooting.

Thavychith will be extradited back to Charlotte from Kansas to face his charges. On Wednesday, officials said Thavychith waived extradition back to Charlotte. He will be taken back in a reasonable amount of time, officials said.

Rivera was driving a bus near Trade and Graham streets on Feb. 11 when Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department investigators said there was some sort of road rage incident. That’s when the driver of another vehicle shot into the bus, striking Rivera. He died from his injuries the next day.

On Feb. 15, police released pictures of the suspected shooter and a Honda Pilot in the hopes of generating tips to help them identify and find the driver.

The arrest comes as CATS bus drivers aired their grievances directly to the city and their CEO, John Lewis, in an effort to make their days on the job safer.

Related: CATS bus drivers and Charlotte city workers protest for safer work conditions

After Rivera was shot and killed while driving his route last month, CATS operators say it could have been any of them and that they are put in unsafe or dangerous situations all too often.

On Monday night, many protested at the Charlotte Government Center, saying they were tired and scared. They want work to feel safe like anyone else and they want the city to make changes to ensure that happens.

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