By Nick Craig
Charlotte, NC – The City of Charlotte and the light rail system are back in the news, after an individual was seriously injured in a stabbing on the Blue Line Friday night.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police said on Friday, Dec. 5, around 4:50pm, they responded to a stabbing near the light rail station on 25th Street and North Brevard Street. When officers got to the scene, they discovered a victim with stab wounds who was transported to the hospital in serious condition.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police have identified the suspect as 33-year-old Oscar Solarzano-Garcia. Officers arrested Solarzano-Garcia shortly after the stabbing. He now faces charges including attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, breaking and entering a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon, and being intoxicated and disruptive.
Court records for Solarzano-Garcia show that he is illegally in the US and had been previously deported; he is being held without bond with a court appearance expected on Monday.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to Fox News that Solarzano-Garcia has been deported from the United States two times, once under the first Trump administration in 2018, then again under the Biden administration. DHS reports they are not sure of the time and location at which he made his third entry into the US.
The stabbing happened three months after 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was stabbed to death on a light rail, prompting outrage over purported soft-on-crime policies in Democratic-run cities like Charlotte.
The most recent incident has once again gained national attention, including that of President Donald Trump.
Gov. Josh Stein also took to social media after the incident, calling the situation “horrific.”
“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,” wrote Stein. “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. Public safety is a top priority for us all.”
Brent Cagle, the interim CEO of the Charlotte Area Transit System, expressed his frustration with the most recent violent attack.
“We are disappointed that a verbal altercation escalated to the point of a stabbing incident on a Blue Line train Friday evening. Through close collaboration between CATS private security team (PSS) and CMPD, a suspect was apprehended swiftly following the incident. Since August, CATS, together with our partners, have taken a proactive and robust approach to keep employees and passengers as safe as possible by deploying additional off-duty CMPD officers, private security personnel, new technology and safety reporting tools. Violence has no place in our community, including on public transit. Individuals who believe public transit can be used as an area to settle grievances through violent altercations are not welcome on our system. We will continue to work with our partners at CMPD as well as our private security team to ensure everyone rides appropriately on public transit. We will not compromise on the safety of our customers and employees.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles has again stressed the importance of public safety across the city.
“Everyone deserves to be and feel safe in our city, and there is no room for violence in our community. We have invested heavily in increasing security on our transit system and CMPD has been proactive in increasing its presence across our city, including announcing a new multi-agency effort this week,” said Lyles. “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.”
In mid-November, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) started “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” a crackdown on illegal immigration across the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. In total, more than 425 people were arrested, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Gregory Bovino, CBP’s commander at large overseeing Charlotte operations, had sharp criticism for Stein over the weekend.
Nick Craig hosts The Carolina Journal News Hour weekdays from 5-6 AM on WBT radio in Charlotte. Nick’s broadcasting career officially took off in 2016 when he started working in Wilmington, where he honed his skills in media and public speaking. His early work in broadcasting laid the foundation for his ongoing efforts to influence political conversations and engage a wider audience in critical discussions about politics.