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Hope Mills, Cumberland County

Hope Mills: Albert Bharrat charged with attempted first-degree murder after teen hit by car, police say

Hope Mills police say the hit-and-run happened on Dove Drive near Hunting Ridge Road around 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 13. Bharrat, 72, is held with no bond; court is Nov. 3.

UpdatedThis story has changed since it was first published.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

Hope Mills Town Hall

File photo: Dincher (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Hope Mills police charged Albert Bharrat, 72, of Hope Mills, with attempted first-degree murder, hit and run, communicating threats and assault with a deadly weapon after a driver hit a teen with a vehicle and left the scene, according to a Hope Mills Police Department release reported by WRAL.Confirmed by Hope Mills Police Department release, as reported by WRAL (Oct. 15, 2026)
  • Hope Mills Police Department said the hit-and-run happened on Dove Drive near Hunting Ridge Road in Hope Mills, just around 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 13, WRAL reported.Confirmed by Hope Mills PD via WRAL (full article page, including location and time wording confirmed Oct. 16 ~3:48 a.m. ET)
  • Witness information and the Town of Hope Mills' Flock cameras helped law enforcement identify and locate the driver, Hope Mills police said in the release reported by WRAL.Confirmed by Hope Mills PD release via WRAL
  • Police said Bharrat was arrested at a local bar.Confirmed by Hope Mills PD via WRAL
  • Bharrat is held in the Cumberland County Detention Center with no bond. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 3 at the Cumberland County Courthouse.Confirmed by Hope Mills PD via WRAL
  • The investigation remains active. Tips can go to Hope Mills police or Fayetteville / Cumberland County Crime Stoppers at (910) 483-8477 or fay-nccrimestoppers.org, WRAL reported from the release.Confirmed by Hope Mills PD / Crime Stoppers tip line via WRAL
  • The teen's mother told WRAL her son was taken to a local hospital and received nine stitches.Confirmed by Teen's mother, interviewed by WRAL

Alleged or reported

  • Bharrat committed attempted first-degree murder, hit and run, communicating threats and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with hitting the teen with a vehicle and fleeing.Hope Mills Police Department charging decision, as reported by WRAL. A charge is an accusation; Bharrat is presumed innocent unless proven guilty
  • The driver yelled "You better run," sped toward the teen, hit the teen with the vehicle and fled the scene.Hope Mills police account, as reported by WRAL
  • The teen got off a bus and was on his phone when he heard a car door close, then heard the engine rev before he and a mailbox were hit.Teen's mother recounting what her son told her, as reported by WRAL — not an independent Triangle Local interview

Still unknown

  • A publicly stated motive or why the teen was targeted
  • The teen's age beyond "teen," and any further medical update beyond nine stitches as reported by WRAL
  • The name of the bar where Bharrat was arrested

Dove Drive, Hope Mills — Hit-and-run on Dove Drive near Hunting Ridge Road.

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What happened

Hope Mills police have charged a 72-year-old local man with attempted first-degree murder after saying a driver hit a teen with a car on Dove Drive and fled, according to a department release reported by WRAL.

Albert Bharrat of Hope Mills faces attempted first-degree murder, hit and run, communicating threats and assault with a deadly weapon. The hit-and-run happened on Dove Drive near Hunting Ridge Road just around 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 13. He was arrested at a local bar. He is held in the Cumberland County Detention Center with no bond. His next court date is scheduled for Nov. 3 at the Cumberland County Courthouse, WRAL reported.

A charge is an accusation. Bharrat is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

Background

In a release reported by WRAL, Hope Mills police said witness information and the Town of Hope Mills' Flock cameras helped identify and locate the driver. According to the release, the driver yelled "You better run," sped toward a teen, hit the teen with the vehicle and left the scene.

The teen's mother told WRAL that her son got off a bus and was on his phone when he heard a car door close, then heard the engine rev before he and a mailbox were hit. She said he was treated at a local hospital and received nine stitches. Triangle Local did not independently interview the family; that account is attributed to WRAL.

Timeline

  • Oct. 13, 2026, about 4:30 p.m.: The hit-and-run happens on Dove Drive (Hope Mills police, via WRAL).
  • After the hit (same investigation): Witnesses and town Flock cameras help identify the driver; Bharrat is arrested at a local bar, Hope Mills PD said via WRAL.
  • Oct. 15, 2026: WRAL reports the charges, custody status, Nov. 3 court date, the Dove Drive location and the mother's account of her son's injuries.
  • Nov. 3, 2026 (scheduled): Next court date at the Cumberland County Courthouse, WRAL reported.

What we don't know yet

Hope Mills police have not released a motive in the WRAL account. No second local news outlet or public jail-roster printout confirming the booking was found before this draft.

Tips

Anyone with information can contact the Hope Mills Police Department, or submit an anonymous tip to Fayetteville / Cumberland County Crime Stoppers in partnership with Hope Mills police at (910) 483-8477 or through fay-nccrimestoppers.org, WRAL reported.

Photos

Text-only. A booking photo has circulated via WRAL with a Hope Mills Police Department credit; we do not have a clean agency-released file on disk independent of the outlet page that we can use under Triangle Local rules. The teen is not named. No house number is published.

Why it matters

Hope Mills police have charged a local man with attempted first-degree murder after saying a driver hit a teen with a car on Dove Drive and fled. Witnesses and town Flock cameras helped identify him, according to the department's release.

Our video on this story

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Updates

  1. Oct 16, 2026, 3:50 AM

    Triangle Local publishes a site story based on the WRAL account of the Hope Mills PD release, including Dove Drive near Hunting Ridge Road and the Oct. 13 afternoon timing, plus the mother's interview with WRAL.

  2. Oct 15, 2026, 9:26 PM

    WRAL reports Hope Mills police charging details for Albert Bharrat — attempted first-degree murder, hit and run, communicating threats and assault with a deadly weapon — citing a Hope Mills PD release; Dove Drive near Hunting Ridge Road around 4:30 p.m. Oct. 13; arrest at a local bar; no bond; Nov. 3 court.

  3. Oct 13, 2026, 4:30 PM

    Hope Mills police say the hit-and-run happened on Dove Drive near Hunting Ridge Road just around 4:30 p.m., according to the department via WRAL.

Sources

  1. Hope Mills driver yelled 'You better run' before hitting teen, police say (Hope Mills PD release; Dove Drive near Hunting Ridge Road ~4:30 p.m. Oct. 13; arrest; charges; no bond; Nov. 3 court; Flock cameras; mother's account; Crime Stoppers tips)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 16, 2026, 3:50 AM

  2. N.C. General Statute 14-17, murder (background on first-degree murder; attempt charged against that offense)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina General Assembly · Checked Oct 16, 2026, 3:50 AM

  3. N.C. General Statute 14-32, felonious assault with deadly weapon (background on assault with a deadly weapon charges)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina General Assembly · Checked Oct 16, 2026, 3:50 AM

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