Recently unveiled bodycam footage reveals Decarlos Brown Jr., the suspect in a Charlotte light rail murder case, claiming that a “man-made material” was manipulating his actions months before he allegedly fatally stabbed Iryna Zarutska.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department shared this footage on Tuesday, which captures officers conducting a welfare check on Brown back in January. During the incident, Brown had made a 911 call, asserting that an unnatural substance had been implanted in his body and was controlling him.

At the scene, an officer queried Brown, asking, “Do you think someone is inside controlling you?”

Brown reaffirmed his belief, stating that the material had been placed in him without his consent, and claimed it dictated all his bodily functions, including his eating habits.

The footage, released by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, relates to a January 2025 incident involving Brown, who faces charges for a woman’s death on a light rail train in August 2025. (Source: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department)

“I need you guys to investigate because the medic doesn’t have any test or scan to determine what my body has been exposed to,” Brown told the officers.

Brown could be seen in the bodycam footage explaining that he “woke up on the ground” and that “somebody did something to my body.”

The incident took place months before Brown allegedly killed 23-year-old Zarutska on a LYNX Blue Line light rail in August. Authorities have described the violent stabbing attack as unprovoked.

Booking photo of DeCarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., taken Jan. 20, 2025, following his arrest in Mecklenburg County for misusing the 911 system. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO))

During the nearly 30-minute encounter, officers advised Brown to seek medical evaluation at a hospital. 

While officers were still at the scene, Brown placed a second 911 call requesting assistance. He was arrested and charged with misuse of the 911 system.

Brown told the officers that doctors had tried to diagnose him with schizophrenia, but that “they got it wrong.”

“I’m mentally perfect,” he added.

Despite Brown’s comments, CMPD said officers did not initiate an involuntary commitment because he did not verbalize intent to harm himself or others.

Decarlos Brown Jr. is accused of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, on a Charlotte light rail train on Aug. 22, 2025. (NewsNation via Charlotte Area Transit System)

North Carolina Department of Adult Correction records reveal that Brown has an extensive criminal record, including convictions for larceny, breaking and entering, and armed robbery.

He began a five-year prison sentence in 2015.