FBI among federal agencies investigating deadly Charlotte light rail attack

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - The FBI is among the federal agencies looking into the deadly Aug. 22 knife attack on a Charlotte light rail, director Kash Patel confirmed Monday night.

In a Sept. 8 social media post, Patel said the FBI had been investigating the case “from day one.” In the same post, he also told the public to “stay tuned.”

Patel’s confirmation came at almost exactly the same time that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that his U.S. Department of Transportation would also be investigating the case.

During the fatal Aug. 22 incident, graphic video showed a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee -- Iryna Zarutska -- get onto a Charlotte light rail train and sit down in front of her would-be attacker, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr.

Just moments after Zarutska sat down, the video showed Brown -- who was unprovoked -- pull out a knife, rear back his arm, and plunge the weapon into the young woman’s throat. She died on the train, while Brown got off with the knife still dripping blood.

Brown was arrested soon after and was charged with first-degree murder. He appeared in Mecklenburg County court on Aug. 29 and was denied bond and was ordered to undergo a competency evaluation. His next court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 19.

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“I stand firm with President Trump’s message of zero tolerance for criminality, especially on our federal DOT funded public transportation,” Duffy wrote on social media Monday. “If mayors can’t keep their trains and buses safe, they don’t deserve the taxpayers’ money.”

“I was moved by a Charlotte resident who said today: ‘I don’t feel safe on public transportation. But, I have to work,’” the transportation secretary added.

U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson, who is over the Western District of North Carolina, said in a statement that his office was looking into whether Brown could face federal charges.

Trump, Democratic leaders respond

Reaction from Patel, Duffy and Ferguson came after President Donald Trump called the stabbing “horrible” on Sunday evening. At that point, he said he had not yet heard about the case. By Monday, though, he said he had seen the video of the “horrific” attack.

In a social media post, Trump called out Democratic leaders, specifically former governor and current Senate hopeful Roy Cooper.

“The blood of this innocent woman can literally be seen dripping from the killer’s knife, and now her blood is on the hands of the Democrats who refuse to put bad people in jail, including Former Disgraced Governor and ‘Wannabe Senator’ Roy Cooper,” Trump’s post read in part. “North Carolina, and every State, needs LAW AND ORDER, and only Republicans will deliver it!”

Cooper responded to WBTV’s request for comment, and called the incident “a tragedy,” and said “North Carolinians need to be safe.”

“I spent my career prosecuting violent criminals and drug dealers, and keeping thousands of criminals off the streets, and I encourage the legislature to pass the funding request before them that would give our law enforcement the resources they need to keep criminals behind bars and North Carolinians safe,” the former governor’s statement read.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles -- a Democrat -- published a letter to the community on Monday that called the case “a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates.”

“Our police officers arrest people only to have them quickly released, which undermines our ability to protect our community and ensure safety,” the letter said. “We need a bipartisan solution to address repeat offenders who do not face consequences for their actions and those who cannot get treatment for their mental illness and are allowed to be on the streets.”

Lyles said the city has taken action and “will continue to take action.”

Mayor says more security coming

The second half of Lyles’ letter outlined what the city and its transit system -- CATS -- is doing to improve safety.

She said that effective immediately, CATS security personnel was re-deployed with a stronger presence on the light rail, and would emphasize fare enforcement. The mayor also said Charlotte-Mecklenburg police would be increasing patrols at “key areas.”

The mayor of Charlotte said bike units and UTVs would also be rolled out in the coming weeks as an added security measure, and around 30 new security personnel would be hired within the next few months.

“Residents across our community and visitors to our region depend on public transit,” Lyles said to end her letter. “We owe it to them to make sure our public transit system and our city are safe and secure.”

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