On August 22, 2025, Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was fatally stabbed on the Lynx Blue Line in Charlotte, North Carolina, while returning home from work.

Surveillance footage from the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS), released more than two weeks after the incident, shows Zarutska boarding the train and sitting in front of Decarlos Brown Jr., who suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked her without apparent provocation.

After the attack, Brown moved to the back of the train, removed his jacket, and several passengers rushed to help the injured woman. Despite quick intervention from fellow passengers, Zarutska collapsed and was pronounced dead on the train.

Brown was arrested immediately after the train stopped and faces first-degree murder charges. Iryna Zarutska and her family had come to the United States from Ukraine in 2022 to escape the war. She had studied art, loved fashion design and animal care, and aspired to become a veterinary assistant.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles described this as a "senseless and tragic" loss, urging media and the community not to spread the video out of respect for the victim's family.

The incident has sparked widespread public outcry and broader discussions about public transportation safety, train corridor surveillance, mental health, and the legal system—particularly how to handle individuals with criminal histories and mental health crises.