Twice-Removed Illegal Alien Charged For Violent Attack On Charlotte’s Light Rail System

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A federal criminal complaint was filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte today, charging an illegal alien with a federal crime in connection with the violent attack on the city’s light rail system, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, 33, from Honduras, is charged with one count of illegal reentry by a removed alien and one count of committing an act of violence on a mass transportation system.

James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

“Not only should this defendant have already been in prison — he should not have been in our country to begin with,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This attack is more tragic evidence that soft-on-crime policies and vetting failures put innocent citizens at risk. My prosecutors will deliver swift, comprehensive justice in this case.”

“The people of Charlotte deserve to live in a safe city and this horrific act should never have happened,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “As the FBI has illustrated, we will not stand for this type of violence in our communities. Our mission is to keep our communities safe and that is exactly what the men and women of the FBI are working to accomplish each and every day.”

“This defendant is charged with coming back to the United States after being deported not once, but twice, and then stabbing a passenger in the chest on our city’s public transit system,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “Everyone who uses public transportation is the victim of a crime like this, and we will act swiftly to prosecute those who violate our immigration laws and endanger the lives of citizens using public transit to go about their daily lives.”  

“Oscar Solorzano-Garcia should not have been on the Charlotte light rail last Friday. In fact, he should not have been in our country. He has a violent criminal history and was deported twice. These two recent attacks on the city’s light rail system make one thing clear. Safety measures on public transportation in our city must be strengthened. People deserve a secure and reliable transit system where they make it to work and back home unharmed,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Barnacle.

“Our strong partnerships with federal and community stakeholders are essential to keeping our city safe,” said CMPD Chief Estella Patterson. “Federal charges brought against violent offenders send a clear message: if you commit violent crimes, you will be held accountable. Actions have consequences, and we will continue working with our justice partners to ensure offenders are prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

According to allegations in the affidavit filed with the criminal complaint:

On December 5, 2025, at approximately 4:49 p.m., officers with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) received a call for service related to an assault with a deadly weapon that occurred on the Lynx Blue Line light rail in Charlotte. Responding CMPD officers located the victim in the rear rail car. The victim, identified in court documents as K.D., had sustained serious injuries from a stab wound to his upper left chest and was taken to the hospital.

According to witness statements and surveillance footage, Solorzano-Garcia was a passenger on the train and appeared to be intoxicated. K.D. and Solorzano-Garcia engaged in a verbal altercation, and Solorzano-Garcia pulled out a long knife and stabbed the victim in the chest. Solorzano-Garcia then got off the train and began walking away. Additional CMPD officers responding to the scene located Solorzano-Garcia and took him into custody.

The criminal complaint alleges that Solorzano-Garcia is an alien unlawfully present in the United States. It is further alleged that, in 2012, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by the Union County Police Department in New Jersey and was later convicted of robbery. In July 2016, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office in Florida for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, and he was removed from the United States in March 2018. Nine months later, Solorzano-Garcia was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol. He was convicted of illegal reentry and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. On June 9, 2021, Solorzano-Garcia was removed from the United States out of Alexandria, Louisiana.

If convicted, Solorzano-Garcia faces a maximum statutory sentence of up to life in prison in prison for the charge of violence on a mass transportation system, and up to 10 years in prison for the illegal reentry offense. Ultimately, his sentence will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case with the assistance of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick J. Miller of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.

The charges against the defendant are allegations and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.