Manhunt after city stabbings
A MASSIVE manhunt is under way for a lone knifeman who went on a 90-minute rampage in Birmingham city centre overnight, killing a man and injuring seven other people.
West Midlands Police declared a major incident after being called to reports of a stabbing just after midnight yesterday, before more calls came in of further attacks.
Detectives are now racing to catch a male suspect who managed to evade capture last night, with “significant resources” now deployed, said senior police officers.
Chief Superintendent Steve Graham, of West Midlands Police, said the incidents appeared to be “random”, with “no suggestion” the night’s events were linked to terrorism.
He said: “A man has tragically died. Another man and a woman have suffered serious injuries and five others have also been injured, although their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.”
The force’s police and crime commissioner David Jamieson labelled the assaults “disturbing”, with the violence enfolding as revellers had been enjoying the night.
Speaking at a press conference at the force’s headquarters, itself only yards from where the initial attacks unfolded, Mr Graham said there was also nothing suggesting it was a hate crime or connected to city gang violence.
He also moved to end speculation the violence was linked to people “squabbling over tables”.
On Twitter, Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked the emergency services.
He tweeted: “All my thoughts are with those affected by the terrible incident in Birmingham last night.”
Home Secretary Priti Patel also said “all her thoughts” were with people affected by the “shocking incident” in the city.
“Our emergency services are working hard to find whoever is responsible and bring them to justice,” she tweeted.
Mr Graham said initial calls were to reports of a stabbing in Constitution Hill around 12.30am, and then at the nearby Livery Street next to Snow Hill railway station. Paramedics said they responded to first reports of a call in Livery Street, in the north of the city centre, at about 12.40am.
The attacker then moved “north to south” through the city centre, said Mr Graham, into the heart of the city’s Gay Village quarter.
However, it was over an hour between the Livery Street violence and the next attack, reported in Irving Street, across the city, at 1.52am.
Shortly afterwards, the emergency services were called to another knife assault in Hurst Street at 2am.
Asked as to a possible motive, Mr Graham said: “At this stage we can’t find a particular motive but it does appear to be random in terms of the selection of people who were attacked.” He added: “We don’t know who the subject is.”
Mr Graham confirmed there had, last night, been no arrests.