A violent stabbing aboard a Charlotte light rail train this week left a courageous passenger fighting for his life and reignited a debate about public safety and criminal justice in North Carolina. Authorities say 24-year-old Kenyon Dobie was stabbed in the chest after confronting a disruptive rider, and police arrested 33-year-old Oscar Solarzano—who faces attempted first-degree murder charges and is being held without bond while federal authorities have lodged a detainer. This frightening episode comes just months after another brutal attack on the same transit line, reminding citizens that crime on public transit is not an abstract policy debate but a direct threat to ordinary people trying to get home safe.
Charlotte still reels from the killing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska this past summer, a case that shocked the conscience of the state and prompted lawmakers to act. Zarutska’s death on a Lynx Blue Line train became the catalyst for a political and legal reckoning about whether courts and magistrates had been too willing to release dangerous individuals back onto the streets. Communities expect, and deserve, a justice system that prioritizes victims and keeps killers off public transit.
The legislature responded by passing what is now known as Iryna’s Law, a package of reforms that tightens pretrial release rules, expands the definition of violent offenses, and curbs the practice of cashless bail for many defendants charged with serious crimes. The law mandates that judicial officials consider an officer’s observations and prior involuntary commitments when determining pretrial release and creates stiffer guidelines for those with significant criminal histories. Conservatives rightly argued that these changes are common-sense measures to restore accountability after a string of avoidable tragedies on our trains and in our streets.
Still, passing laws is only half the battle; implementation and funding matter. Mecklenburg County’s sheriff has warned that Iryna’s Law could strain jail capacity by forcing the system to hold more defendants longer without the necessary resources to manage the influx. If lawmakers want to keep dangerous people behind bars, they must pair tougher pretrial rules with the money, staffing, and infrastructure to carry out those decisions safely and effectively.
This latest suspect in Charlotte’s transit violence is no stranger to the system: prosecutors say the man charged was deported twice, previously convicted of robbery, and had been banned from transit property before the stabbing. Those are not the actions of a person who should be roaming free on public transportation; they are the warning signs citizens and victims’ families have been demanding authorities take seriously for years. Holding repeat offenders accountable and coordinating with federal immigration enforcement are essential elements of any serious public-safety strategy.
The bigger picture is unavoidable: when left-leaning policies prioritize the rights of accused criminals over the safety of law-abiding residents, predictably grim outcomes follow. Political finger-pointing won’t bring back victims or stop the next attack; what will help is clear-headed enforcement, stronger penalties for violent recidivists, and cooperation between local, state, and federal agencies to keep banned individuals off transit systems. Lawmakers who rushed to signal virtue without preparing for the consequences should take a hard look at whether their priorities match the public’s demand for secure streets and reliable justice.
Leaders on both sides should seize this moment to fix systemic failures rather than score partisan points. That means funding jails and courts where needed, backing prosecutors and judges who uphold public safety, and making sensible changes to immigration enforcement where repeat deportees keep returning to commit new crimes. Voters will judge officials not by their rhetoric but by whether they make communities safer.
If Charlotte and the rest of North Carolina want to stop these preventable tragedies, they must move beyond platitudes and implement policies that produce results: tougher pretrial rules paired with resources, relentless prosecution of violent repeat offenders, and a commitment to secure public spaces. The people deserve safe commutes, accountable public servants, and a justice system that protects victims first and foremost.
