Overview

• Surveillance footage released by Charlotte Area Transit System shows the moments before and after Iryna Zarutska was fatally stabbed on the Lynx Blue Line on August 22.
• CMPD says officers recovered a folding knife near the next station and arrested the suspect after he was treated for a hand injury; transit security guards were on a different car and police response was about six minutes, according to local reports.
• Court records show the accused has a lengthy arrest history, including a prior armed-robbery conviction and a January arrest after a welfare check in which he claimed a “man-made” material controlled his actions.
• CATS officials say they have hired a chief safety and security officer, tripled the safety budget, and begun upgrading cameras, and the City Council is set to consider expanding police patrols on September 22.
• The video’s release has intensified public and political criticism of safety on Charlotte transit, with Mayor Vi Lyles thanking outlets that declined to repost the footage and community supporters raising funds for Zarutska’s family.