A federal criminal complaint has been filed in Charlotte, North Carolina, charging Oscar Gerardo Solorzano-Garcia, a 33-year-old Honduran national, with illegal reentry by a removed alien and committing an act of violence on a mass transportation system. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The charges stem from an incident on December 5, 2025, when officers from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) responded to an assault with a deadly weapon on the Lynx Blue Line light rail. The victim, identified as K.D., suffered serious injuries after being stabbed in the chest and was transported to the hospital.
According to witness statements and surveillance footage cited in court documents, Solorzano-Garcia appeared intoxicated during the train ride. After a verbal altercation with K.D., he allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed the victim before leaving the train. CMPD officers later apprehended him nearby.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson stated: “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. 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.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi commented: “Not only should this defendant have already been in prison — he should not have been in our country to begin with. 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.”
FBI Director Kash Patel added: “The people of Charlotte deserve to live in a safe city and this horrific act should never have happened. 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.”
James C. Barnacle Jr., Special Agent in Charge of FBI Charlotte Division said: “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.”
CMPD Chief Estella Patterson remarked: “Our strong partnerships with federal and community stakeholders are essential to keeping our city safe. 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.”
Court records indicate that Solorzano-Garcia has previously been arrested multiple times across different states for various offenses including robbery in New Jersey (2012) and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon in Florida (2016). He was first removed from the United States in March 2018 but returned illegally nine months later; after another arrest by U.S Border Patrol he was convicted of illegal reentry—serving 18 months—and again removed from Alexandria, Louisiana on June 9, 2021.
If convicted on all counts related to violence aboard mass transportation systems as well as illegal reentry into the United States after removal orders were issued against him twice before now facing these new allegations—the maximum statutory sentence could be up-to-life imprisonment plus up-to-10 years for reentering unlawfully; sentencing would ultimately depend upon federal guidelines as determined by judicial review.
The investigation continues under leadership from both FBI agents alongside local police support while prosecution efforts are led by Assistant U.S Attorney Nick J Miller based out-of-Charlotte.
It is noted that these remain allegations at present; Solorzano-Garcia is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt through due process within court proceedings.
