The Justice Department (DOJ) announced on Tuesday it is filing federal charges against DeCarlos Brown Jr., who is accused of stabbing a woman to death in Charlotte, N.C.
Brown, 34, is alleged to have attacked Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte light rail train on the night of Aug. 22. Zarutska fled Ukraine with her family in 2022 amid Russia’s ongoing war with the country.Â
“I have directed my attorneys to federally prosecute DeCarlos Brown Jr., a repeat violent offender with a history of violent crime, for murder,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement. “We will seek the maximum penalty for this unforgivable act of violence — he will never again see the light of day as a free man.”
According to the Justice Department release, Brown stabbed Zarutska three times with a pocket knife, four minutes after she sat down in the row in front of him. The DOJ added that the FBI is investigating the case alongside the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
President Trump condemned the attack on Monday.Â
“The brutal attack on Iryna Zarutska on the Charlotte Light Rail was a disgraceful act that should never happen in America,” FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement. “The FBI jumped to assist in this investigation immediately to ensure justice is served and the perpetrator is never released from jail to kill again.”
Nexstar affiliate WJZY obtained a video of the stabbing via the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS). WJZY is electing not to show the video in its entirety, due to its violent and graphic nature.Â
The video shows Brown slowly grabbing a knife from his pocket and lunging at Zarutska from behind.Â
“Of course, crimes like this affect the victim the most—Iryna deserves justice, and we will bring justice to her and her family,” said Russ Ferguson, US Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. “But crimes like this also affect everyone who relies on mass transportation to get to and from work and go about their daily lives, and federal charges are necessary to protect the public and ensure confidence in our transportation systems.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News’s Sean Hannity on Monday that the incident stems from the “epidemic of violence and homelessness across the country.”
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