CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A CATS Transit Center security officer is in the hospital after he was brutally attacked Friday night.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg officers say Reginald Alexander attacked the security officer after he was asked to leave the property. Officials say Jeffery Outen, the security officer, saw Alexander loitering and asked him to leave. 

Investigators say Alexander left, but came back. Officials say Outen tried to arrest Alexander for trespassing, and that's when the fight started.

This isn't the first time there have been fights at the transit center. A video of a fight went viral in November 2017 and there was another fight in 2015. 

Rufus Hall rides the bus almost every day, and says he wants to see more security patrolling the transit center, and he even suggested that CMPD officers help out when they can. 

“It would help if [CMPD] had some routine schedules they could come through and give a hand, and be a little more helpful to these guys. They have a little more training and a little more authority than the security guards," Hall says. "So it would be helpful if during a periodic times of the day that they have been at least coincide with everybody else who is doing security here for their safety as well.”

CATS officials released this statement following the incident:

"At Charlotte Area Transit System, safety is our number one priority. We take all safety-related incidents seriously and are committed to working with law enforcement to ensure our system is safe. While most citizens who use the services at the Charlotte Transportation Center (CTC) are law-abiding, certain behavior of those who choose to break the law cannot be controlled by CATS. We continue to review and assess our safety protocol to ensure the safety of all patrons, employees and staff at the Transit Center. The Feb. 16, incident at the CTC is under investigation."

Police say Alexander has been charged with assault on an officer. His next court date is March 2, 2018.