Warning: This article contains descriptions and visuals of violence that might be unsettling for some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Recently uncovered surveillance footage reveals troubling scenes involving Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., who was seen pacing a platform before boarding a Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) light rail train. This occurred shortly before the tragic stabbing of 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. The same footage later captures Brown disembarking the train and subsequently being apprehended by officers from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

The videos were released to Fox News Digital following Freedom of Information Act requests directed to both the Charlotte Area Transit System and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. They document Brown, aged 34, in the moments leading up to and following the unprovoked attack on Zarutska on August 22.

In the footage, Iryna Zarutska is seen cowering in fear as Brown looms over her during the distressing incident aboard the light rail in Charlotte, North Carolina. The attack was a shocking event for the community, highlighting the vulnerability of those who have sought refuge in safer lands.

The images further depict Decarlos Brown Jr. at the Lynx Blue Line station in Charlotte on the day of the incident. These visuals remain crucial evidence in understanding the sequence of events that led to the heartbreaking loss of Zarutska, as law enforcement continues to piece together the details surrounding this violent act.

Surveillance shows suspect before and after the fatal attack

In one clip, Brown is seen entering the Blue Line’s inbound train, dressed in a black T-shirt, jeans and carrying a red sweatshirt. He can be seen pacing back and forth on the platform before boarding the train.

In another clip, he is captured exiting the train, carrying the same red sweatshirt in his arms as he walks along the platform. 

WATCH THE ARREST:

Police video captures search and arrest

Additional video from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police shows a group of officers arriving at the CATS platform and quickly swarming Brown and taking him into custody. Prior to the officers’ arrival, Brown is seen pacing near the light-rail tracks, his right hand wrapped in cloth. Officers approach with weapons drawn, ordering him to the ground.

Brown was detained without incident and provided medical attention before being taken into custody.

LISTEN TO THE 911 CALLS: 

Graphic details from 911 calls

Fox News Digital previously obtained audio of five frantic 911 calls made in the immediate aftermath of the stabbing.

In one, a caller tells dispatchers, “This man f—— stabbed her for no reason.”

Another caller pleads, “There’s a lady on the ground. She’s bleeding a lot. I don’t think she’s responsive.”

Witnesses described “a lot of blood” and feared the victim “was stabbed in the carotid [artery].”

Booking photo of Decarlos Dejuan Brown Jr., taken Aug. 28, 2025, days after the fatal light-rail stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska.  (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO))

According to police and court records, officers responding to the Lynx Blue Line near 1821 Camden Road found Zarutska unresponsive with three stab wounds to the middle of her throat. She was pronounced dead at 10:05 p.m.

Brown was treated for a hand injury and later booked on charges of first-degree murder.

Ukrainian Iryna Zarutska came to the U.S. to escape war but was stabbed to death in Charlotte. (Evgeniya Rush/GoFundMe)

Federal prosecutors also charged him with violence against a mass transportation system resulting in death.

“Iryna Zarutska had likely taken that train ride many times before,” James Barnacle Jr., the FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge, said in a statement after the federal charge was filed in September. “She was probably tired after a day at work and just wanted to go home, but tragically she never made it.”