‘Appalled’: Leaders call for action after light rail stabbing
In the stabbing that occurred the night of Aug. 22, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska was randomly attacked on a Blue Line train by a homeless man, Decarlos Brown.
On Friday, two weeks after it occurred, the security video was released to the public, and over the weekend, the story spread nationally, with federal officials like President Donald Trump commenting on it.
Fatal Light Rail Stabbing
“Over the past several weeks, as our community has worked to understand this, what we know is that this was a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates,” Lyles said in the statement. “Our police officers arrest people, only to have them quickly released, which undermines our ability to protect our community and ensure safety.”
Last week, Lyles called a special meeting of the Metropolitan Transit Commission on Wednesday morning, where leaders presented steps that had already begun to increase security on the buses on rails.
CATS officials believe that Brown did not have a ticket, but also expressed that the crime wasn’t one that could’ve been avoided by security alone. Queen City News has also addressed the mental health aspect of the incident.
“We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illnesses and are allowed to be on the streets,” Lyles said.”
In addition to beefing up transit-specific security, Lyles also says Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police will be part of the changes.
“Effective immediately, CATS security personnel will be redeployed for a stronger presence on Blue Line platforms and to increase fare enforcement. (CMPD) will also be increasing patrols at key areas across the transit system. These changes will allow CATS to fully execute the transit system policing plan, including the Blue Line,” Lyles said.
CATS will bring a proposal to the City Council on September 22 that would expand the authority of the agency to provide security across the system.
“Residents across our community and visitors to our region depend on public transit,” Lyles said. “We owe it to them to make sure our public transit system and our city are safe and secure.”
Brown is charged with first-degree murder and is being held without bond.
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