Charlotte City Council Had Literal ‘Let Them Eat Cake’ Moment After Iryna Zarutska Murder

Charlotte’s City Council paused its Sept. 2 meeting for birthday cake just before a scheduled transit-safety briefing sparked by the Aug. 22 killing of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on the LYNX Blue Line.

The cake break — a recognition of council birthdays — lasted about 10 minutes before members launched into the safety presentation, according to the meeting video. The safety discussion then ran roughly two hours. (RELATED: Family Of Girl Stabbed In Charlotte Said They’d Bury Her In US Because ‘She Loved America,’ Prosecutor Says)

“Do we need a short break to get cake? No?” Mayor Vi Alexander Lyles asked the council between bursts of laughter. “Nobody wants cake right now.”

“They are indeed taking a break for cake. The CATS safety briefing will have to wait a little longer,” WSOC-TV city hall reporter Joe Bruno posted from the chamber Sept. 2.

They are indeed taking a break for cake. The CATS safety briefing will have to wait a little longer

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) September 2, 2025

Bruno also shared a photo of the dessert as staff sliced it on a table in the meeting room.

Here’s the cake pic.twitter.com/2TIOYdbYWh

— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) September 2, 2025

The briefing followed Zarutska’s fatal stabbing on the Blue Line near South End on Aug. 22, which Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police say they are investigating as a homicide. CMPD identified the victim and announced an arrest shortly after the killing; the suspect, Decarlos Brown, 34, was charged with murder at the state level.

City video shows the council reconvened after the cake and proceeded to the Charlotte Area Transit System update and a lengthy discussion on public safety. Officials also held a special Metropolitan Transit Commission meeting on transit safety the next morning.