The Charlotte Area Transit System has released new details about last week’s stabbing on the Blue Line — the second high-profile attack on the light rail since August.
Interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle said the agency exceeded its goal in November, with Charlotte-Mecklenburg police providing more than 900 hours of weekly coverage across the system. But officials confirmed there was no officer on the train when a passenger was stabbed and critically injured.
CATS also said the suspect, Oscar Solorzano-Garcia, is presumed not to have had a valid ticket. He was later arrested and federal officials say he is an undocumented immigrant who has been deported twice.
The agency says it is continuing to implement its Transit Security and Public Safety Plan, which calls for more fare enforcement and an increased security presence on trains and platforms. Cagle added that CATS hopes to eventually establish a dedicated transit police force — but staffing every Blue Line train around the clock would require more than 10,000 hours and 256 officers per day.
