Suspect on the loose after stabbing man on Seattle bus

This comes after a Ukrainian woman who fled her home country due to the ongoing war was stabbed to death aboard a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. Video showed the suspect, 34-year-old Decarlos Brown Jr, sitting behind Iryna “Ira” Zarutska before suddenly stabbing her in the neck multiple times, then walking away as blood dripped from the knife and his hands. Brown has been charged with first-degree murder.

In Seattle in December, a homeless man was arrested for the fatal stabbing of a King County Metro bus driver. 53-year-old Richard Sitzlack was taken into custody after officers were flagged down. The victim was identified as 59-year-old Metro bus driver Shawn Yim. Sitzlack allegedly pepper-sprayed Yim before exiting the bus, and again outside the bus before the stabbing. In December, the city announced that several bus stops would be closed down due to rising crime.

In the wake of Yim’s killing, King County approved an additional $26 million in funds for security in July for public transit, per the Seattle Times. These funds are in addition to previously approved funds for additional police and lightly armored security officers.

King County Metro, as well as Sound Transit, have nearly tripled their security staff to 520 employees nationwide and have a goal of having a security presence on 25 percent of trains and stations during operating hours. On buses, hard barriers have been installed to shield bus drivers.

Metro’s rider survey revealed 84 percent of riders were somewhat or very satisfied with safety on buses during the day, with 64 percent saying the same at night. This is more than double that of 2022.

In the first five months of 2025, Metro reported five assaults on workers, down from 2024, but 16 assaults on passengers, up from 2024. Sound Transit reported 61 assaults on workers, 13 assaults on passengers resulting in injury, and 15 weapons threats.