A new episode of violence occurred in the city’s light rail system Charlotte Last Friday, December 5, a man was stabbed to death in broad daylight aboard the LYNX Blue Line, just months after the death of a Ukrainian refugee in a similar incident. Authorities identified the attacker as Oscar Solorzanoa 33-year-old Honduran citizen charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon and other serious crimes.
According to the report of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD)the agents left just before 5 p.m. to the area of North Brevard Street and East 22nd Streetwhere the victim suffered a stab wound and was taken to the hospital Novant Health Presbyterian. Police confirmed that the injured man’s condition remained critical but stable.
“Officers quickly took the suspect into custody. He was interviewed by investigators and transferred to the custody of the county jail.” Mecklenburg“authorities said in a statement collected by cnn.
The arrest warrant indicates that Solorzano, armed with a large bladed knife, appeared to be in a state of intoxication and challenged the identified victim Kenyon Kareem-Shemar Dobieto fight before stabbing him. Witnesses describe the attacker as shouting “incoherently” and insulting him, according to court documents reviewed by USA today.
Officials of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that Solorzano is originally from Honduras and had been deported at least twice, the last time in 2021. “This illegal criminal received a final deportation order in 2018 and was deported by the Trump Administration on March 9, 2018. He re-entered illegally in 2021 and was deported again. He entered the country for the third time at an unknown date and location,” he said. Tricia McLaughlinDHS spokesperson, on social network X.
The DHS itself reported that one was filed “Arrest warrant” to ensure that Sooarzano is not released. Kristi NoemSecretary of Homeland Security stated that “this heinous stabbing of an illegal immigrant who had already been deported twice should never have happened.”
Tensions over crime and immigration have risen in Charlotte since the murder Iryna Zarutskaa 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who was fatally stabbed in an incident on the Blue Line four months earlier. The attacker Decarlos Brown He was charged with first-degree murder and charged with violence against a mass transit system.
Public transportation safety became a central topic of political debate, and after Zarutska’s death, the Trump administration and conservative officials pointed the finger at it Charlotte as an example of insecurity in cities governed by Democrats. The President Donald Trump asked the incident on social media: “What’s happening in Charlotte?” He posted while the city was under a sweeping immigration control measure known as “Operation Charlotte’s Network”.
The mayor for her part Vi Lyles defended the community’s efforts to strengthen security and ensure that “the city has invested significantly in the transportation system and the police have increased their presence,” he explained in
Days before the last stabbing, Charlotte started the initiative “Operation Safe Season” Increase police surveillance in areas with the highest rates of violence. The police chief Estella Patterson He took office on the same Friday that the attack took place.
The fear among light rail users remains. Statistics from the LYNX Blue Line system show a decline in the number of travelers in September of more than 10% compared to last year and an 8% decline in October, according to the LYNX Blue Line system Federal Transit Administration.
Despite these incidents, official figures suggest this is the case Charlotte has seen a decline in violent crime. According to CMPD, the city reported an 8% decrease in overall crime and a 20% decrease in violent crimes such as homicides, assaults and robberies in October of this year.
The investigation into Friday’s attack is ongoing. Authorities urged anyone who witnessed the events or has relevant information to contact media channels. Charlotte Crime Stoppers.
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