Fact check: Did Charlotte City Council eat cake in meeting on light rail killing?

The Charlotte City Council paused a meeting earlier this month that included a discussion of a fatal stabbing on the city’s light rail system to recognize a pair of birthdays.

Council members met for about four hours on the evening of Sept. 2 for a regularly scheduled meeting following a day of council committee meetings. The agenda included an update from transit leaders on the killing of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee who police say was fatally stabbed Aug. 22 on the LYNX Blue Line in South End.

Decarlos Brown, 34, is charged with first-degree murder in the case. Brown’s lawyer said during a first court appearance that he planned to file a motion for an evaluation of of his client’s competency to stand trial because of his “long history” of mental health issues, WSOC reported.

The birthday recognition drew criticism from some on social media, especially after graphic video of the incident went viral in conservative political circles. A post on X, formerly known as Twitter, falsely claiming the break lasted “for an hour” was reposted 11,000 times as of Monday morning.

About 90 minutes into the council meeting, Mayor Vi Lyles paused between agenda items to recognize that it was Council member Dimple Ajmera’s birthday and that Council member Ed Driggs’ birthday was also that week.

A staff member then wheeled out a cake on a cart with a “Happy Birthday” banner on it. The break lasted about 10 minutes, with some council members eating cake while mingling with each other and those in the audience, which included law enforcement and transit leadership.

The meeting resumed after the break with a presentation from Charlotte Area Transit System leadership on safety procedures, followed by a council discussion of public safety. That portion of the meeting lasted about two hours.

Lyles and other leaders from throughout the county also gathered the following morning for a special meeting of the Metropolitan Transit Commission about safety on transit.

It’s a common practice for the Charlotte City Council to acknowledge council members’ birthdays when they fall during meetings.

City spokesman Jack VanderToll told the Observer such recognitions usually happen at the beginning of meetings, but it was delayed until the council was “heading into an already-planned break between presentations” on Sept. 2 because some members were late to the meeting.

This story was originally published September 8, 2025 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Fact check: Did Charlotte City Council eat cake in meeting on light rail killing?."

Mary Ramsey

The Charlotte Observer

Mary Ramsey is the local government accountability reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she studied journalism at the University of South Carolina and has also worked in Phoenix, Arizona and Louisville, Kentucky. Support my work with a digital subscription