CATS leaders say Blue Line ridership down following fatal stabbing

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Sixty days after Iryna Zarutska’s death, a federal grand jury is handing down an indictment against Decarlos Brown, the man accused of brutally stabbing her on the Blue Line train.

He’s being charged with knowingly and unlawfully using a dangerous weapon with intent to cause death on the Charlotte Area Transit System. The announcement came as transportation leaders met Wednesday night to discuss security and fare enforcement updates.

One interesting piece of information that came out of that meeting is that ridership on the Blue Line train for September was down 10.2%. Transit leaders said that’s in part linked to Zarutska’s death.

“Clearly, Iryna Zarutska’s murder played into that and had an impact on Blue Line ridership,” said CATS Interim CEO Brent Cagle.

Cagle also noted the Panthers had one fewer home game this September compared to 2024.

It’s been about two months since the Ukrainian woman’s death, and transit leaders are noticing a decline in passengers on the train Zarutska was riding when she was fatally stabbed.

Her death prompted transportation officials to increase law enforcement presence on trains and platforms and check tickets more frequently to make sure people are paying to ride. Cagle said the fare enforcement push is also to blame for the decreased ridership.

“Other transit agencies have started to do enhanced or extensive fare evasion efforts; those agencies tend to see a reduction in ridership as well,” he said.

CATS security has been doing what’s called “fare blitzes,” where they ticket-check at busy platforms during busy times of day. It’s part of the city’s commitment to prioritize fare enforcement, which was discussed at Wednesday night’s Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting.

Officials don’t believe Brown had a ticket the night of the murder.

If convicted, this new federal charge could lead to life in prison or the death penalty. Brown is also facing a first-degree murder charge from the state.

Queen City News reached out to the attorney representing Zarutska’s family to get their reaction to the federal indictment. We’re waiting to hear back.