A Honduran man, who had been deported twice, now faces federal charges in connection with a stabbing incident on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina, the Justice Department announced on Thursday.
Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, 33, has been charged with illegal reentry after deportation and committing an act of violence on a mass transportation system.
FBI Director Kash Patel expressed his concerns in a statement to Fox News Digital, remarking, “This individual, deported twice and with a history of violent crimes, should never have been on a public train in Charlotte or anywhere near American citizens. This incident is a consequence of treating our borders as mere suggestions rather than enforceable laws.”
Solorzano was apprehended following his alleged involvement in a stabbing on the Charlotte light rail last Friday. He is currently detained at the Mecklenburg County Jail.
“The FBI remains committed to collaborating with local authorities to remove violent individuals from our communities,” Patel continued. “It is imperative that the public is not endangered by individuals who should not be in the country. Our main focus is to safeguard the public, uphold the law, and ensure that perpetrators like this face swift and resolute justice.”
According to previous reports from Fox News Digital, Solorzano has a history of violent offenses in the United States. He was deported in March 2018 but illegally crossed back into the country through the Texas border in March 2021.
He was deported a second time by the Biden administration and reentered illegally as a “got-away” at an unknown time and location.
Solorzano was arrested last week after allegedly stabbing Kenyon Kareem-Shemar Dobie on the light rail system during an argument. Prior to the Dec. 5 attack, he allegedly broke into a railroad car “with the intent to commit a felony” while carrying a large fixed-blade knife, authorities said.
While intoxicated, he challenged Dobie to a fight, cursing and shouting at others and using “unintelligible and slurred words,” according to court documents.
He was arrested by responding Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers as he walked away from the scene. Dobie was taken to a hospital with a stab wound to the upper left chest and survived, police said.
“I am the second victim of the BLUE LINE stabbing,” Dobie wrote on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe. “Luckily I survived but my body has taken plenty damage. Have a tube running from my chest to a machine pumping blood out of my lungs. Please pray and help me with a better recovery.”
Split of Charlotte train stabbing victim Kenyon Dobie and suspect Oscar Solarzano. The Justice Department said Solarzano had been deported twice and has a criminal history in the U.S. (GoFundMe; Mecklenburg County Jail)
Solorzano faces state charges of attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon with serious injury, breaking/entering a motor vehicle, carrying a concealed weapon and intoxicated/disruptive behavior, according to multiple Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sources and arrest warrants obtained by Fox News Digital.
“Everyone who uses public transportation is the victim of a crime like this, and we will act swiftly to prosecute those who violate our immigration laws and endanger the lives of citizens using public transit to go about their daily lives,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson.
In addition to the attack, Solorzano has a robbery conviction in New Jersey following a 2012 arrest. In July 2016, he was arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
Nine months later, Solorzano was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol. He was convicted of illegal reentry and sentenced to 18 months in prison. On June 9, 2021, he was deported from the U.S. out of Alexandria, Louisiana.
If convicted, Solorzano faces up to life in prison.
The light rail attack came months after Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, 23, was fatally stabbed on a LYNX Blue Line train while on her way home from work.
A memorial dedicated to Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte N.C., on Sept. 11, 2025. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, who is accused of killing Zarutska, was charged with violence against a railroad carrier and a mass transportation system resulting in death—a capital offense under federal law.
“Oscar Solorzano-Garcia should not have been on the Charlotte light rail last Friday—in fact, he should not have been in our country,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge James C. Barnacle Jr. “He has a violent criminal history and was deported twice. These two recent attacks on the city’s light rail system make one thing clear: safety measures on public transportation in our city must be strengthened. People deserve a secure and reliable transit system where they make it to work and back home unharmed.”
