Federal authorities say the suspect accused of stabbing a man on a Charlotte, N.C., light rail on Friday evening is a Honduran national living in the U.S. illegally after being removed twice.
The attack occurred nearly four months after 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on the same transit system by a man with a long criminal record.
In the Dec. 5 incident, 33-year-old Oscar Solarzano allegedly forced his way onto the light rail and stabbed a male passenger with a large, fixed-blade knife. He faces charges including attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
The Department of Homeland Security identified Solarzano as Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia and called him a “criminal illegal alien” who had been removed from the U.S. in 2018 and 2021. DHS said it is unclear when he last entered the country, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement has lodged a detainer.
“Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the county will honor the detainer since they have a history of not cooperating with ICE,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said.
Court records show Solarzano is being held without bond and is expected in court Monday, Dec. 8. The victim remains in critical but stable condition, officials reported.