Violent transit attacks in Atlanta, New York and Charlotte fuel calls for tougher tracking of repeat offenders

Violent transit attacks successful 3 large U.S. cities person renewed commuter fears and sparked outrage implicit however the justness strategy tracks repetition offenders.

The cases see a shooting connected Atlanta’s MARTA system, stabbings astatine New York City’s Penn Station and a stabbing connected Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line.

Here are 3 caller public-transit attacks involving accused repetition offenders that person fueled calls for tougher enactment to support residents.

1. MARTA — Anthony Tyrone Gresham

Anthony Tyrone Gresham, 42, a felon with aggregate convictions, is accused of opening occurrence astatine MARTA’s Midtown presumption successful Atlanta, wounding a 17-year-old earlier fleeing connected Friday, June 5.

Anthony Tyrone Gresham, 42, of Lithia Springs, was charged by transgression ailment connected June 8 with committing an enactment of unit with intent to origin superior bodily wounded connected a wide proscription system, possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and discharging a firearm during and successful narration to a transgression of violence. Federal prosecutors allege Gresham opened occurrence connected a MARTA bid astatine the Midtown Station connected June 5, wounding a teen earlier fleeing the scene. (Douglas County Sheriff's Office)

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Authorities accidental that Gresham allegedly walked up to the bid car wherever the teen sat, pulled a handgun retired of his container and fired 3 times toward the victim.

The teen was struck successful his near manus and limb and medics took the teen to a adjacent hospital.

Gresham, authorities said, ran from the presumption earlier instrumentality enforcement could apprehend him. The flight sparked a multi-agency manhunt that ended 2 days aboriginal erstwhile officers captured him successful Douglasville.

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Federal authorities charged Gresham with committing an enactment of unit with intent to origin superior bodily wounded connected a wide proscription system. He besides faces national charges for possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and discharging a firearm during and successful narration to a transgression of violence.

Margaret Swan was killed successful what officials described arsenic an unprovoked attack. (MARTA/ @secduffy/X / Fulton County Sheriff's Office)

The shooting came amid heightened scrutiny of MARTA information pursuing a abstracted fatal stabbing connected the transit strategy days earlier of 66-year-old Margaret Swan, a great-grandmother.

In that abstracted attack, John Elijah Matthews, 25, a stateless antheral from Decatur, Georgia, was charged successful a national transgression ailment with committing an enactment of unit utilizing a unsafe limb with intent to origin decease connected a wide proscription system, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

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He is besides charged locally with felony murder, according to Fulton County records.

An Amtrak constabulary serviceman stands adjacent the country of a stabbing successful Penn Station connected June 7, 2026 successful New York City. Five radical were injured successful a stabbing incidental astatine Penn Station connected Sunday evening, according to the FDNY. The onslaught occurred soon aft 7 p.m. connected the NJ Transit concourse. One unfortunate sustained superior injuries, 2 suffered mean injuries, and the remaining 2 were treated for insignificant injuries. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

2. Penn Station — Hector Deleon

Hector Deleon, 51, was identified arsenic the fishy successful a stabbing and slashing spree wrong Penn Station’s New Jersey Transit concourse successful New York City connected Sunday, June 7.

The random onslaught happened soon aft 7 p.m. connected the NJ Transit concourse wrong Penn Station and sent commuters scrambling. The stabbing spree successful the engaged Manhattan commuter hub near 5 radical bloodied, with 1 earnestly injured, officials said.

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Deleon had astatine slightest 7 anterior arrests, including a 2022 lawsuit successful which helium was accused of slashing a antheral successful the neck. He was aboriginal sentenced to 2 years' probation with conditions including intelligence wellness treatment.

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WATCH: Penn Station stabbing unfortunate recounts 'crazy scene'

Victim Henry Obadiah criticized wide soft-on-crime policies aft being stabbed successful Penn Station by a vocation criminal. In an interrogation with Fox & Friends, Obadiah recalled the stabbing which near him with a ample slash connected his feature and lip.

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"I'm heading toward the exit to 7th Avenue, and I'm walking, you know, toward the escalator, and I spot these 2 guys benignant of scuffling a small bit. I didn't deliberation thing of it," Obadiah said.

"Walking toward the escalator, and I locked eyes with this brainsick madman, and helium conscionable looked astatine me, and helium had this rage successful his eyes, and helium went whack. Cracked maine close successful the mouth. And my archetypal absorption was, 'I'm gonna spell aft this guy. I privation to termination him.' But past this feline down maine goes, 'he's got a knife. he's got a knife.'"

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3. Charlotte airy obstruction — Decarlos Brown Jr.

Decarlos Brown Jr., 35, is accused of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, aboard Charlotte’s Lynx Blue Line connected Aug. 22, 2025.

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Federal prosecutors said Zarutska sat successful beforehand of Brown earlier helium allegedly pulled retired a weapon and stabbed her from behind. Brown has been charged federally with unit against a wide proscription strategy resulting successful death, a complaint that could transportation beingness successful situation oregon the decease punishment if helium is convicted.

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Brown had a past of convulsive crime, including assaults and robberies, and had besides been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Yet helium was inactive escaped and walking the streets.

A mugshot of Decarlos Brown is shown alongside surveillance footage of him connected airy obstruction trains successful Charlotte. (Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office; CATS)

On Tuesday, the repetition offender was deemed incompetent to basal proceedings successful his national lawsuit pursuing a intelligence evaluation. This followed a erstwhile May proceeding for his authorities charges wherever the justice had ruled Brown incompetent to basal trial.

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Brown is expected to beryllium committed to a peculiar installation nether the absorption of the U.S. lawyer wide for attraction aimed astatine restoring competency. If helium is aboriginal recovered competent, the national lawsuit could resume.

"Let maine beryllium clear, helium volition beryllium successful custody that full time. Mr. Brown is successful national custody present and volition stay successful national custody until trial," Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said pursuing the hearing. "For us, our fig 1 extremity present is justness for Iryna Zarutska and Iryna Zarutska's family. That's what's connected the apical of our minds and our hearts each day."

Brown could look the decease punishment if the national lawsuit proceeds. However, a suspect who is recovered incompetent cannot beryllium tried oregon executed portion incompetent.

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Julia Bonavita contributed to this report.