Ukrainian Refugee’s Tragic End: Stabbed on Charlotte Light Rail

On August 22, 2025, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee who fled her war-torn homeland seeking safety in the United States, was fatally stabbed on a Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) LYNX Blue Line train in Charlotte, North Carolina. The attack occurred around 9:46 p.m. at the East/West Boulevard station in South End. Zarutska, an artist with a degree in art restoration, had recently arrived in the U.S. hoping for a fresh start.

Surveillance footage shows Zarutska boarding the train, wearing a work uniform, and sitting across from 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr. After about four minutes, Brown, who appeared distressed, pulled a pocket knife and stabbed Zarutska in the throat multiple times in an unprovoked attack lasting six seconds. She collapsed and was pronounced dead at 10:05 p.m. Brown, a homeless man with a lengthy criminal history, including robbery and assault charges, fled the train but was arrested on the platform with a hand injury. He faces first-degree murder charges.