Suspect charged in stabbing on Charlotte light rail train
A suspect has been charged in the Friday stabbing on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to police.
Oscar Solarzano, 33, has been charged with five counts including attempted first-degree murder, assault with deadly weapon serious injury and carrying concealed weapon, according to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
The male victim was found with a stab wound just before 5 p.m. near North Brevard Street and East 22nd Street, where the train appeared to have stopped between stations, Charlotte ABC affiliate WSOC reported.
The victim was transported to Novant Health Presbyterian with serious injuries but is in stable condition, according to the Mecklenburg EMS Agency.
Solarzano was apprehended by officers shortly after the stabbing and was transported to the division where he was interviewed by detectives, police said.
Solarzano was transported to the custody of the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office after the interview concluded, police said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said Solarzano is a native of Honduras, who was in the U.S. illegally and had twice been removed from the country.
"This criminal illegal alien was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2018 and removed by the Trump Administration on March 9, 2018," Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, posted on X. "He was apprehended illegally crossing the border again in 2021 and was again removed. He entered the country illegally for a THIRD time at an unknown date and location."
This incident comes months after a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee was fatally stabbed while riding the Blue Line on the Charlotte light rail. The suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr., was charged with first-degree murder and was indicted in October on federal charges of violence against a railroad carrier and mass transportation system resulting in death.
Any witnesses or anyone with any information on the stabbing Friday are asked to call Charlotte Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600, use the Charlotte Crime Stoppers P3 Tips Mobile App or visit the Charlotte Crime Stoppers website.
