Suspect arrested in stabbing on the same Charlotte light rail line where Ukrainian refugee was killed

A man was stabbed on the LYNX Blue Line Charlotte Area Transit System light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Friday, December 5. (Erik Verduzco/AP/File via CNN Newsource)

The city of Charlotte is contending with another stabbing on its light rail system, months after the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee served as a flashpoint for the crime debate in major American cities.

The stabbing on Friday, which left one person seriously injured, happened on Charlotte’s LYNX Blue Line – the same route where refugee Iryna Zarutska was killed. The Trump administration and conservative politicians cited her death as an example of the violent crime they say plagues many Democrat-led cities across the United States.

The latest incident poses an early test for a new chief of police and a new targeted safety initiative and has captured the attention of President Donald Trump shortly after an immigration enforcement surge in the city made headlines.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) responded to a stabbing near the light rail station on 25th Street and North Brevard Street around 4:50 p.m., police told CNN in a statement.

”The victim was transported … to a local hospital and is currently in critical but stable condition,” police said.

Officers “quickly apprehended” the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Oscar Solarzano, shortly after the incident. He was interviewed and later transferred to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office, according to the statement.

Solarzano allegedly attacked the victim with a “large fixed blade knife,” according to the arrest warrant. He appeared intoxicated and challenged the victim “to a fight” and cursed and shouted at others while slurring, the warrant reads.

Solarzano is facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon causing serious injury, breaking and entering a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon, and being intoxicated and disruptive, the warrant says.

In court records, a magistrate noted Solarzano is “an illegal and has been deported previously.” He is being held without bond.

Solarzano is expected to appear in court on Monday at 10 a.m. at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse in front of Judge Keith Smith.

The stabbing drew comment from Trump, who posted on Truth Social Saturday, highlighting the suspect’s immigration status and asking, “What’s going on with Charlotte?”

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement had lodged a detainer for Solarzano, who is from Honduras, Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.

Solarzano was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2018 and then deported by the Trump administration, according to McLaughlin. He was removed again after entering the US illegally in 2021 and then re-entered the country a third time at an unknown date and location, McLaughlin added.

CNN is trying to determine if Solarzano has an attorney.

On Wednesday, two days before the stabbing, the city launched a new safety initiative called Operation Safe Season to “significantly increase police presence and enforcement” in areas plagued by frequent violence. Estella Patterson was sworn in on Friday as the new chief of police for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

“I just spoke with Chief Patterson about the horrific stabbing on the light rail this evening. Please join me in praying for the full recovery of the victim,” North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein wrote in a post on X.

“I am pleased that Chief Patterson was already surging law enforcement throughout Charlotte with Operation Safe Season, and I am grateful to the state law enforcement agencies that are assisting the operation.”

Earlier killing of refugee sparked concerns of violence

The stabbing comes nearly four months after Zarutska’s killing.

Zarutska was fatally stabbed in August after boarding the late-night LYNX Blue Line train from Scaleybark station, just a few miles outside of downtown Charlotte.

The suspect, Decarlos Brown, 35, was charged with first-degree murder. Homeless at the time of the stabbing, Brown has a history of arrests and convictions for armed robbery, felony larceny, and breaking and entering, according to court records. Family members told CNN he has a history of mental health struggles.

Brown’s attorney, Daniel P. Roberts, said in September his client was being evaluated to determine his capacity to proceed with the trial, according to CNN affiliate WCNC.

The LYNX Blue Line saw its September ridership drop by more than 10% compared to the same month last year, WCNC reported. Federal Transit Administration statistics released Friday showed that in October, light rail ridership was down 8 per cent, according to WFAE.

In early October, the Charlotte Area Transit System rolled out updated safety protocols for its light rail service. Professional Security Services, the contractor responsible for rail security, has reached full staffing on the Blue Line and is now working alongside 24 off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers, according to the CATS website.

CNN has reached out to the Charlotte Area Transit System for comment.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said the city has “invested heavily in increasing security on our transit system and CMPD has been proactive in increasing its presence across our city.”

“There are several aspects of public safety that are outside of the city’s jurisdiction, including immigration policy and enforcement, but we will continue to focus on public safety and ensuring a safe and vibrant community,” Lyles wrote on X.

Alaa Elassar, CNN