A machete attack outside an Uptown Charlotte gastropub that left two men bloodied and a suspect in blood-soaked clothing has ended with a guilty plea, more than a year after the chaotic scene unfolded on Brevard Street. Matthew King, now 40, admitted to assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury in a case that began with a bar fight and escalated into an armed ambush in the early morning hours.
Police were called to 300 S. Brevard St. around 2 a.m. on August 9, 2025, arresting King at 2:17 a.m. outside the business while he was still wearing blood-covered clothing, according to WCNC. The address is home to The Public House, a gastropub and sports bar that stays open until 2 a.m. and pours from 46 craft beer taps, according to The Public House. King was taken to a local hospital for minor face injuries before being booked into the Mecklenburg County Jail, per the same account.
Court records relayed by Law & Crime describe how King got into a fight inside the bar and was hit in the face by another customer before security kicked him out, according to Charlotte Alerts News. Rather than leave the area, King retrieved a machete from his car and came back roughly 30 minutes later, approaching victim Kurt Lee Casey from behind and saying, “Remember me?” before attempting to strike him with brass knuckles and swinging an 18-inch machete blade overhead.
Two Patrons Hurt Trying to Stop the Attack
Casey blocked the overhead swing and suffered a severe laceration to his left hand that required surgery, the outlet’s report notes. A second victim, Jeffrey Vangordon, sustained a cut to his right thigh while helping subdue King, who was ultimately disarmed and tackled to the ground by patrons inside the bar. Charlotte Alerts News reported that the customer’s hand bled profusely and that patrons at the bar were left covered in blood by the time the scuffle ended…