A man accused of stabbing a Charlotte light rail passenger over the weekend appeared in court Monday morning, where a judge ordered that he be held without bond.
Authorities say 33-year-old Oscar Solarzano-Garcia stabbed a man on the CATS LYNX Blue Line light rail. The attack happened Friday aboard a train at around 5 p.m. near North Brevard Street and East 25th Street, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The victim, 24-year-old Kenyon Dobie, survived and was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries. He was reportedly in critical condition. He posted on a GoFundMe that on Monday, he was recovering in the hospital with a chest tube to drain blood from his lung.
The Department of Homeland Security says Solarzano-Garcia is an undocumented immigrant from Honduras who had been deported twice before. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has placed a detainer on him, but he will remain in the Mecklenburg County jail until his local case moves forward.
The attack has pushed Charlotte, immigration and its transit system back into the national spotlight, weeks after a surge of Border Patrol agents departed the city. President Trump weighed in on Truth Social over the weekend, saying Charlotte Democrats are “destroying” the city. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also commented, saying the agency will work to deport “every depraved criminal illegal alien.”
Solarzano-Garcia faces five charges, including attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon. He is due back in court at the end of this month.
It’s the second high-profile stabbing on the light rail in a little over four months, after the stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska in August.
CATS Interim CEO Brent Cagle said in a statement that the agency will continue to work with CMPD and private security to increase safety on public transit. The agency has said it's increased its safety budget, stepped up fare enforcement to make sure riders have a ticket, and hired more armed guards.
CATS didn't respond to questions Monday about security on the train where the stabbing occurred.
