NC: Charlotte transit CEO says it’s not ‘best practice’ to put security on all trains

The Charlotte Area Transit System said there is “no practical way” to identify passengers who are banned from riding public transportation after a stabbing on the Blue Line light rail Friday.

In a letter signed by interim CATS CEO Brent Cagle, the agency also doubled down Wednesday on its previous statements that staffing every train car with security at all hours of the day would not be feasible. CATS has pledged in recent months to dramatically increase its fare enforcement efforts and bolster security presence.

Oscar Solarzano, a 33-year-old Honduran man who is in the country illegally and banned from Charlotte’s public transit, was being disruptive and using profanities while riding the Blue Line, according to the letter. Solarzano is suspected of stabbing another passenger who told him to be quiet.

The incident is the second high-profile stabbing to happen on the light rail since August, when Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was killed.

Security on Charlotte transit

Security was not present on either train at the time of the incidents, according to CATS. Officers were working elsewhere in the CATS system on Friday, according to the letter. Staffing every train during all operation hours would require an additional 10,240 work hours per week and 256 officers daily, Cagle said in his letter.

“Security personnel do not ride each train car and each bus around the clock throughout each shift. That approach is not a best practice and there is not a major transit agency in the country that operates that way,” CATS said.

The letter urged passengers to report suspicious behavior.

CATS does not know whether Solarzano purchased a ticket but presumes he did not, according to the letter. However, the agency said he was not allowed on city transit at the time of the stabbing.

CATS data error

Solarzano received a one-year “exclusion” on Oct. 8 for a weapons violation on city property. He received an additional six-month “exclusion” on Oct. 9 for public intoxication.

Officers who responded to the Oct. 9 incident were not aware of the weapons violation “due to a data entry error that occurred during CATS training,” according to the letter. Solarzano otherwise would have received an indefinite exclusion.

Still, an exclusion has limited power. CATS said it serves as “a legal restriction, not a physical barrier.”

“It gives CATS the authority to remove or cite someone, but it doesn’t by itself prevent boarding,” the letter said.

There is no automatic system to prevent somebody with an active ban from entering transit property. The light rail operates on an open system, meaning there aren’t barriers like turnstiles or ticket checks that might flag when a passenger violates an exclusion.

“Tens of thousands of people ride CATS vehicles every day and monitoring everyone entering the system is not feasible at this time as there is no practical way to identify an excluded individual as they board,” the letter said.

City officials previously dismissed the idea of converting to a closed system, citing space and money limitations.

CATS said even closed transit systems have no mechanism to block excluded passengers from boarding.

The agency is exploring facial recognition technology to help identify excluded individuals, according to CATS.

A video of the incident cannot be released at this time due to an ongoing investigation, CATS said.

CATS safety plan

CATS shared its security and public safety plan, which was updated on Sept. 24, 2025, just over a month after the fatal stabbing of Iryna Zarutska. The plan provided a breakdown of the “numerous proactive measures” the agency had taken in recent years to improve security.

This included boosting spending on security from $5.8 million in 2023 to $18.4 million in 2025 and consolidating all security to Professional Security Services. CATS also upgraded its camera system and looked into new technologies, including artificial intelligence, to improve surveillance and responsiveness.

Cagle highlighted some of those key points to the Metropolitan Transit Commission and Charlotte City Council in September.

The nine-pager also laid out the agency’s immediate, mid-term and long-term security plans and changes, especially following Zarutska’s death. It also explained CATS’ effort to enforce fares, increasing more security personnel across the transit system, and plans for updating technology and facilities.

Charlotte Observer reporter Jeff Chamer contributed reporting.

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