CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Area Transit System interim CEO Brent Cagle answered Channel 9’s questions on Wednesday surrounding last Friday’s stabbing on the Blue Line.
Cagle addressed last Friday’s stabbing on the light rail in an email to Mayor Vi Lyles, the Charlotte City Council and Metropolitan Transit Commission.
Oscar Solarzano is accused of stabbing a passenger, Kenyon Dobie, during an argument on the Blue Line near NoDa. Witnesses said Solarzano was drunk. He was arrested after the attack and is in jail under several charges including attempted first-degree murder. Dobie is recovering and is expected to be OK. Solarzano, of Honduras, entered the U.S. illegally after being deported twice.
Blue Line security
Cagle told leaders what he has previously shared, that security teams do not ride on every train throughout each shift. He says staffing stationary personnel on every Blue Line train, across all shifts, seven days a week would require an additional 10,240 hours per week and 256 officers daily.
He says as CATS transitions to an independent authority (overseen by MPTA), a key component of the future security strategy will be establishing a dedicated transit police force.
The $3.4 million marketing contract
Cagle says CATS had a contract with Saturday Brand Creative since October 2020 and it recently came to an end. The new contract was supposed to be voted on Nov. 24 but was deferred. He said “marketing and communications have always played and continue to play a vital role in supporting CATS and the customers we serve. From educating riders on how to navigate the system and pay fares, to guiding them on how to report safety and security concerns, these services are essential to ensuring a safe, informed and accessible transit experience.”
Security last Friday:
Cagle confirmed Channel 9’s Joe Bruno was correct that no security personnel were on the train when the incident happened. He said neither CATS nor the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department received any reports of a disturbance or suspicious behavior beforehand.
Why was Solarzano banned?
Cagle says Solarzano “had received a one-year exclusion on Oct. 8, 2025, for a weapon violation on city property, followed by a six-month exclusion on Oct. 9, 2025, for public intoxication.” Apparently, there was a “data entry” error on Oct 9 and Solarzano should have instead received an indefinite ban.
So how did he get on the train if banned?
Cagle told leaders a “transit exclusion is 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.” Cagle said there is no practical way to identify a banned individual when they board. He says CATS is exploring “the implementation of technology with facial recognition capabilities” to identify banned individuals.
Did he have a ticket?
CATS assumes no.
When will the video be released?
CATS claims “at this the video cannot be released due to the ongoing investigation.” Of note: On Wednesday, the city told Bruno the same line when he followed up, again, about the video of last month’s bus stabbing.
VIDEO: Suspect in light rail stabbing previously cited for having knife
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