Charlotte mayor calls special meeting to address safety on public transit after deadly stabbing on light rail

CHARLOTTE (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — City leaders are taking action to improve safety on local buses and light rail trains after a string of violent incidents, including a deadly stabbing.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, who also chairs the Metropolitan Transit Commission, has called a special meeting for Wednesday morning to address growing concerns about safety on Charlotte’s public transit system, operated by CATS (Charlotte Area Transit System).

The move follows the tragic death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, who was fatally stabbed on the Lynx Blue Line on August 22. Police said she was attacked by a man she didn’t know, identified as 31-year-old Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., who now faces a charge of first-degree murder.

Court documents reveal that the attack was unprovoked and captured on surveillance video. Zarutska had boarded the train and sat in front of Brown, who later pulled out a knife and stabbed her in the throat. She died at the scene just minutes later.

Sadly, this isn’t the only recent act of violence on CATS transit. In the past year:

• In November 2023, a rider was stabbed after arguing with another passenger
• Last summer, an off-duty security guard got into a fight on a bus that spilled into Uptown streets
• During that same summer, there were two other stabbings and a shooting within just one month

Charlotte City Council Member Edwin Peacock said public safety is essential to keeping the transit system running and riders feeling confident.

CATS officials said they’re working to beef up security. Right now, the system has 184 officers on staff and hopes to raise that number to 219. The special safety meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, September 3, from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Government Center.

With more than 150 people moving to Charlotte every day, city leaders said now is the time to make sure the public transit system is safe for everyone.

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