Iryna Zarutska stabbing

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles on Monday said judges and magistrates allow criminals to be released too quickly.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles said Monday that the fatal stabbing of a Ukrainian refugee on the city's light rail system was "a tragic failure by the courts and magistrates" and announced new steps to increase transit security.

President Trump's policy adviser Stephen Miller and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized Charlotte Democratic officials over the killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska.

Interim Charlotte Area Transit System CEO Brent Cagle said he has tripled the amount of money the transit system spends on security since 2023.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles is calling the fatal stabbing of a young woman on the city’s light rail system a “tragic situation” that underscores broader challenges with mental health and homelessness.

Charlotte City Council members on Monday night said they want answers about crime around uptown and on public transit, after several high-profile incidents…including the killing of a 23-year-old woman who was stabbed to death Friday night on the Blue Line light rail in South End.

A 23-year-old woman who was stabbed and killed on the light rail Friday night in South End has been identified as a Ukrainian refugee who recently fled Russia’s war on her home country.