Grand jury indicts man charged in murder of CATS bus driver Ethan Rivera

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – A Mecklenburg County grand jury has indicted the man charged in the shooting death of CATS bus driver Ethan Rivera, court officials said.

According to the Mecklenburg County Clerk of Superior Court’s office, Darian Dru Thavychith’s case was transferred to superior court on Tuesday, with the indictment date listed as March 29.

Thavychith’s next court date is May 12, according to court officials. He was originally set to appear on Wednesday.

According to CMPD, 21-year-old 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 by the Shawnee, Kansas Police Department on March 1.

Thavychith was extradited back to Charlotte from Kansas to face his charges.

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

Related: CMPD: Suspect arrested in Kansas in murder of CATS bus driver 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.

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.

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 came 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.

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