Charlotte light rail suspect had knife on platform months earlier, records say
The man accused of stabbing another man on a Charlotte light rail train Friday had been previously charged — but not jailed — in October with having a “large” knife on light rail property, according to records, raising more questions about how the city is ensuring its train system is safe.
Oscar Solarzano, 33, was arrested on Oct. 8 at 6:04 p.m. on light rail property at 8312 N. Tryon Street — the McCullough station — and charged with misdemeanor carrying a concealed weapon, according to a police report and a citation filed in court.
The charge was issued by a security guard, however, and not a Charlotte police officer, according to police. The incident took place six weeks after the high-profile stabbing death of Iryna Zarutska on a light rail train.
At the time, Solarzano had been convicted of crimes and had illegally re-entered the country after being removed in 2018 and 2021. He was twice convicted of robbery and had been arrested in New Jersey and Florida, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Solazarno went on to stab and injure a man Friday.
The citation was written by a security guard with Professional Security Services, the private company contracted by the Charlotte Area Transit System for security. The security guard’s citation described the weapon as a “large red knife” while the CMPD incident report described the weapon as a “knife with red handle.”
It was not clear if the security guard seized the knife on Oct. 8 or if Solarzano was allowed to leave with it and his written citation. He was not taken to jail, but ordered to show up in court Oct. 30 on the misdemeanor charge.
But he didn’t appear at the hearing or another court hearing scheduled for Nov. 17, according to court records.
In court records on the Dec. 5 stabbing, the suspect’s name is spelled Oscar Solarzano. The Oct. 8 citation spells his name as Solozano. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security identified him as Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia.
Eric Osnes, the chief safety and security officer for CATS, did not immediately respond to an email from The Charlotte Observer requesting an interview on Tuesday.
Solarzano had been banned from CATS property. Brett Baldeck, a spokesperson for CATS, declined to answer on Monday why Solarzano was banned.
The Oct. 8 citation for Solarzano was first reported by WSOC-TV.
Dec. 5 stabbing on train
The Oct. 8 incident occurred just under two months before Solarzano would be charged with, among other things, attempted first-degree murder after he was accused of stabbing Kenyon Dobie on Friday.
Dobie is in the hospital recovering with a chest tube he said is pumping blood out of his lungs.
Court records filed in Mecklenburg County and a statement by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Solarzano is in the country illegally after being removed twice previously.
In the stabbing, he was drinking a BeatBox wine cooler on the train before yelling at and stabbing Dobie with an “extremely large” fixed knife, according to a Mecklenburg prosecutor in court Monday. Dobie pushed Solarzano during the incident, according to court records.
CATS and city leadership have come under scrutiny about what security measures have been taken to keep trains safe for the public, especially since Zarutska’s death and violence this year at the uptown transit center. President Donald Trump issued a statement saying Democrats were destroying Charlotte.
CATS, currently led by interim CEO Brent Cagle, has declined to comment on security staffing levels, declined to say how many security guards were working on the day of Friday’s stabbing or where, and declined to share any details about efforts to enforce the requirement that all light rail passengers purchase a ticket.
Solarzano is being held without bond at Mecklenburg County jail.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 3:15 PM with the headline "Charlotte light rail suspect had knife on platform months earlier, records say."
