Federal Transit Administration to audit MARTA safety after two stabbings

The Federal Transit Administration will audit the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority after two stabbing incidents on the system, including a fatal attack on May 30, 2026. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the review will focus on worker and rider safety. He cited data showing MARTA’s rate of assaults, robberies, and rapes is more than three times the national average.

m. on a northbound train between Lakewood and Oakland City stations. Prosecutors said a 25-year-old man boarded the same car minutes after the victim, approached her, and stabbed her 18 to 20 times. Police detained the suspect at the Oakland City platform.

He faces federal charges of committing an act of violence with a dangerous weapon on a mass transportation system and local charges of felony murder. A second stabbing occurred days earlier at a MARTA station. Officials said the agency recorded one of only two transit-worker assault fatalities nationwide in fiscal year 2025.

Scope of the federal review The June 3 letter to MARTA’s interim chief executive directs the agency to submit safety plans, assault reports, training records, and related documents within 15 days. The audit will also examine spending of federal funds intended for security improvements and measures to reduce crime and fare evasion.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will decide whether federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty if the suspect is convicted.