President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on social media following another knife incident on a North Carolina commuter train, pointing the finger at Democrats and accusing them of systematically dismantling “everything.
“Another stabbing by an Illegal Migrant in Charlotte, North Carolina. What’s going on in Charlotte? Democrats are destroying it, like everything else, piece by piece! ! ! President DJT,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Saturday evening.
North Carolina authorities have now charged a 33 year old man in connection with the vicious knife attack which left a victim fighting for their life on the Charlotte commuter train, occurring just months after a Ukrainian refugee was fatally stabbed in a separate incident on the city’s rail network.
Oscar Solarzano, 33, faces charges including attempted first-degree murder, assault with a deadly weapon and additional offences following Friday afternoon’s incident in which he allegedly brandished a large blade, according to a statement from Charlotte-Mecklenburg police. Authorities confirmed the victim sustained a stab wound and remains in hospital in a critical yet stable condition.
Solarzano remained in custody on Saturday with no bail granted. Court documents revealed that a magistrate judge determined the suspect was residing in the United States unlawfully and had been previously removed from the country.
He is scheduled to appear before Mecklenburg County District Court on Monday morning.
Court papers lodged in North Carolina indicate that Solarzano appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and was speaking incoherently when he allegedly provoked the victim into a confrontation.
Online court and prison records do not indicate legal representation for Solarzano. This incident occurs barely four months following the fatal stabbing of a 23 year old Ukrainian woman on a Charlotte commuter train in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack filmed on camera.
The victim, Iryna Zarutska, had been sheltering in a bomb shelter in Ukraine before fleeing to America to escape the conflict, according to family members. A suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., faces first-degree murder charges for Zarutska’s death in North Carolina state court and has additionally been indicted in federal court on charges of causing death on a mass transportation system.
Zarutska’s killing triggered outrage amongst Trump supporters and prominent figures within his Make America Great Again movement. Numerous commentators highlighted the incident as proof that federal involvement was necessary, arguing that leaders of major cities and state governors are failing to safeguard residents from criminality and unchecked illegal immigration.
During November, the Trump administration ramped up immigration enforcement operations in Charlotte.
Last month, North Carolina emerged as Trump’s most recent focus in his widespread deportation campaign, with ICE and Border Patrol officers deploying across the state’s principal urban centres, including Charlotte and Raleigh. Local officials, amongst them Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, condemned such operations, declaring in a statement that they “are causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty.
“We want people in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County to know we stand with all residents who simply want to go about their lives,” the statement read.
It also bore the signatures of Mecklenburg County Commissioner Mark Jerrell and Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board member Stephanie Sneed.
Trump’s administration has pointed to the fatal stabbing of Zarutska as evidence that Democratic-led cities are failing to safeguard residents.
