Charlotte commuters were jolted Friday night when a 33-year-old man identified as Oscar Solarzano allegedly broke into a light rail car and stabbed a fellow passenger in a brutal attack that left the victim fighting for his life. Solarzano was taken into custody and now faces serious charges, including attempted first-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon — a reminder that public transit should not be a lawless zone.
Court filings show the victim, named in arrest warrants as Kenyon Kareem-Shemar Dobie, was hospitalized in critical but stable condition after the stabbing, and magistrate notes indicate Solarzano was in the country illegally and had been previously deported. Local authorities have held the suspect without bond pending further proceedings, underscoring the gravity of the allegations and the immediate danger posed to innocent commuters.
Federal officials now confirm the suspect is a Honduran national who had been removed from the United States on more than one occasion before allegedly slipping back across the border, according to Department of Homeland Security sources cited in reporting. This is not a random bureaucratic technicality — it is a failure of enforcement that too often translates into real victims and broken lives on American streets.
The political fallout was swift and predictable: conservatives and local Republicans, including Rep. Mark Harris, blasted sanctuary-style policies and demanded accountability from Democrats who have resisted full cooperation with ICE. If city and state leaders refuse to prioritize public safety over progressive politics, hardworking citizens will continue to pay the price while partisan elites posture on cable TV.
This stabbing is the second high-profile attack on Charlotte’s light rail system since August, and it should be a wake-up call for officials who think soft-on-crime stances are acceptable. Law-and-order conservatives are right to push for immediate steps — reassert ICE cooperation, hold repeat border-crossers to account, and restore common-sense policing so parents and commuters can travel without fear.
