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Judge Denies Bond for Twice-Deported Suspect in Charlotte Light-Rail Stabbing

DHS says the Honduran suspect was removed from the U.S. twice with an ICE detainer now in place, turning the case into a flashpoint over immigration enforcement and transit safety.

Overview

  • Oscar Solarzano, 33, also known as Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, was ordered held without bond on charges including attempted first-degree murder after a Friday stabbing on the LYNX Blue Line.
  • Prosecutors said the victim, 24-year-old Kenyon Kareem-Shemar Dobie, was stabbed in the chest during a confrontation and remains in critical but stable condition.
  • In court, it was disclosed that Solarzano had been banned from Charlotte Area Transit System property in October, and his next hearing was set for December 30.
  • Homeland Security officials say Solarzano, a Honduran national, was deported in 2018 and again in 2021, has prior convictions for robbery and illegal re-entry, and is the subject of an ICE detainer.
  • Authorities and transit officials say the incident followed a verbal altercation and was not random, drawing national political reactions and renewed focus on Blue Line security after August’s fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska.