Iryna Zarutska's family files suit blaming city of Charlotte in light rail killing

Julia Coin, The Charlotte Observer on Aug 21, 2026

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Iryna Zarutska’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit blaming the city of Charlotte and its contracted light rail security company for the train stabbing death of the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee one year ago.

Zarutska and her family were living in Charlotte after fleeing the Ukraine war when DeCarlos Brown, Jr. allegedly fatally stabbed her aboard the Charlotte LYNX Blue Line. Her Aug. 22 death drew international attention and sparked questions about rider safety on Charlotte’s public transit system.

The lawsuit her uncle, Frank Scott Haskell, filed in Mecklenburg County Superior Court Friday afternoon says it was a preventable death. The city and its security knew there were safety and crime issues related to its public transit, and they “were responsible for protecting lawful passengers from known and foreseeable dangers,” the lawsuit states. “Their failures caused the fatal stabbing.”

Simple fare enforcement, turnstiles or proper security staffing — which the city had the money for — could have saved Zarutska’s life, the lawsuit contends.

Could fare checks have saved her life? Almost exactly a year ago, Zarutska bought a ticket to board the train home from her pizzeria shift, the lawsuit says. Brown did not.

If someone checked tickets, Brown wouldn’t have been there in the first place, the lawsuit says. Security could have saved Zarutska’s life or stopped the stabbing from happening. Zarutska could have peacefully ridden the public transit 12 stops through South End to NoDa.

But no one checked tickets, and only passengers were in the car when Brown, a 32-year-old homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia, is accused of stabbing Zarutska’s neck.

Attorney Lauren Newton, of Tin Fulton Walker and Owen, PLLC, argues the city knew its transit system wasn’t safe and was responsible for trying to change that through security measures and fare enforcement. Four people died on or near the Blue Line in the year before Zarutska’s death, she wrote.

Newton also referenced N.C. Auditor Dave Boliek’s recently published reports, which revealed the Charlotte Area Transit System loses $6.5 million to fare evasion yearly and did not spend its full safety budget.

The city contracted Professional Security Services for 39 armed security officers in 2024 but had only 11 registered when Zarutska died, Newton writes, and even 39 officers was nine short of what should have been required.

The light rail has 48 cars, and Professional Security Services officers were paid to protect “at a minimum … the entire Blue Line (light rail) and Gold Line (streetcar)” as well as the “CATS Bus Transit Centers with particular emphasis on the Charlotte Transportation Center (CTC),” the lawsuit says.

Zarutska’s uncle, represented by Newton, wants a jury trial and are suing for at least $175,000 in damages related to wrongful death and negligence.

“This is an issue of public safety. This lawsuit seeks accountability and transparency surrounding the preventable death of Iryna Zarutska and for the safety failures that allowed a fare-paying passenger to be killed while using public transit,” Newton said in a statement. “The public deserves answers about how this happened, why known safety risks were not addressed, and what must change to protect riders in the future.”

Brown is currently getting psychiatric care after a federal judge earlier this summer found that he was not able to stand trial. He faces both state and federal charges for Zarutska’s death.

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