What began as a normal commute home aboard the Lynx Blue Line became a horrific ordeal. On Friday, September 5, WBTV released surveillance video that recorded the events leading up to and after the fatal stabbing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte light rail system, fourteen days earlier. The edited video, with conscious omissions of the actual moment of violence, gives a chilling insight into the latter moments of a young woman’s life and the aftermath.
The assault came in just minutes.
On August 22 at approximately 9:46 p.m., Zarutska entered the light rail wearing what looked like a work uniform—a black T-shirt and matching cap. She sat directly across from a man who would turn out to be Decarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old already on the train, wearing a red hoodie.
In trimmed surveillance footage, Brown is observed fidgeting in his seat, obviously distressed. Less than five minutes later, he reaches for a pocket knife. At 9:50 p.m., officials said, he supposedly lunged forward, sticking Zarutska in the throat three times. She fell onto the train’s floor.
The raw footage, which was investigated by WBTV but not fully reported, allegedly captures the horror and subsequent collapse of Zarutska as panic set in among those aboard.
Panic on the Train
The edited footage shows Brown walking calmly through the railcar in the aftermath of the stabbing, blood dripping from his body. Witnesses would later tell investigators that they were uncertain whether the blood was his or that of his victim. Brown was spotted ripping his sweatshirt off and running back and forth down the car, and frightened riders shrank away from him. Other riders were running toward Zarutska, attempting to see to her as she lay on the ground, bleeding. At 9:52 p.m., at least one witness was seen running to her aid.
About 30 seconds later, Brown emerged from the train at the next stop. Other commuters leaped from the car just as quickly, running wild-eyed across the platform.
The Aftermath and Arrest
Police detained Brown just hours after the attack. Brown was bandaged for a cut on his hand prior to being charged with first-degree murder. Only recently, a judge directed that he remain at the county jail for a competency test.
Police believe Brown and Zarutska were not familiar. There is no motive released.
Shocking Reminder of Community Safety Issues
The video, meticulously edited, unveils a harrowing level of detail. It corroborates the statements made by investigators early in the process, revealing that the attack transpired within mere minutes of Zarutska’s arrival on the train.
After a young woman finished her day, she never made it home. The passengers who witnessed such brutality remained severely traumatized. The public is now left to ponder how such violence could flare so rapidly, so unexpectedly, at a place that is supposed to be a sanctuary.
Zarutska was declared dead on the train that evening, her life shortened at the mere age of 23. Brown now resides in prison, accused of the most serious of crimes.
Charlotte has seen tragedy before, but these graphic images from this light rail surveillance video will linger as a grim reminder of how far from normal a quotidian moment can stray.
