Birmingham murder suspect still at large after spate of random stabbings in city
Murder hunt continues as crime commissioner blames attack on ‘pent-up feelings’ from pandemic
A HUNT was under way last night for a young “Somalian” murder suspect police believe is responsible for a spate of stabbings in Birmingham, including the murder of a 23-year-old man.
Footage was released of the suspect pacing the streets around 2am yesterday. Police believe most of the victims had already been stabbed by then. Members of the public were warned not to approach him. In the clip he is dressed all in black. Detectives quickly ruled out terrorism, saying there was “no suggestion” of a hate crime or that gangs were involved. They said the stabbings appeared to be random, with no obvious links between the victims.
A 32-year-old woman stabbed in the throat as she was pinned up against a wall and a 19-year-old man suffered critical injuries. Five others, aged from 23 to 33, received relatively minor injuries, West Midlands Police said. As extra officers patrolled the city centre yesterday, four crime scenes were cordoned off for forensic examination.
Detectives have yet to apprehend the lone attacker who made his way across the city from north to south, covering around 1.5 miles, between 12:30am and 2:20am.
Along the way, from Constitution Hill to Hurst Street, he allegedly carried out four violent knife attacks. After repeatedly stabbing his final victim, he strolled calmly away smirking at those who tried to stop him. Chief Supt Steve Graham described the events as “tragic,
shocking and understandably frightening.” He said: “Please be assured we are doing absolutely everything we can to find whoever was responsible and try to understand what exactly happened. We do not underestimate the impact that these incidents have had.”
The Prime Minister and Home Secretary condemned the attacks, saying their thoughts were with those affected.
When the first calls to police were received shortly after 12.30am, there was nothing to suggest it was anything particularly out of the ordinary.
Police says a man embarked on a brutal stabbing spree on Constitution Hill, north of the city centre, where one man received a “superficial” injury. He is then said to have moved south into Livery Street, a road lined with bars and restaurants, where a 19-year-old man was critically injured. A woman was also hurt.
It was from this second scene at 12.40am that the ambulance crews received the first emergency call. From there, the suspect walked a mile to Irving Street, where more than an hour later, at 1.52am, stunned witnesses began frantically calling 999 with further reports of bloody and brutal attacks.
It was here one man was fatally wounded and another suffered serious injuries. The suspect crossed to Hurst Street, in the Gay Village quarter, where around 2am he was seen pinning a 32-year-old woman against shop shutters before repeatedly stabbing her in the throat. Two men received lesser injuries. As witnesses raised the alarm, at least two men gave chase.
West Midlands Ambulance Service sent 14 vehicles to the scenes, with paramedics, a hazardous area response team and four critical care teams.
By this time the police knew they were facing a major incident.
A security guard chat room sent out a description of the suspect, warning local bar owners to be vigilant.
“The suspect is described as 5ft 5in, a male of Somalia descent, dark skinned & wearing dark clothing – a hoodie and tracksuit bottoms,” it said.
Savvas Sfrantzis, 64, a bar owner who witnessed the attack in Hurst Street, said: “I saw him stabbing the girl several times in the neck. She screamed ‘he’s stabbing me’ but everybody thought he was robbing her necklace or something. But I’ve seen it. I started screaming. He wasn’t concerned, he wasn’t worried – he wasn’t panicking or anything. He was just walking. Smirking and just walking, slow.” The manager of Sidewalk bar chased the attacker in vain. Mr Sfrantzis added: “The guy said to him, ‘I recognise your face and I’ll be reporting you to the police’ and he just said, ‘whatever’.”
Five people were taken to the major trauma centre at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, three with critical injuries. One died shortly after arrival. Families of the victims were being supported by trained officers.
As the city awoke to news of the stabbings yesterday, a crime scene stretched from Snow Hill to Hurst Street. Among the debris was a black-handled kitchen knife with a serrated blade, which was quickly removed by officers. A short distance away was what appeared to be a trail of blood.
Chief Supt Graham moved to reassure the public, insisting the city was safe, despite the suspect still being at large. He said: “We are not saying that Birmingham is not a safe place. I can understand if some people are a little bit wary. That’s why we have got extra officers out today.”
David Jamieson, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, described the multiple stabbings as “very very disturbing.” He said the pandemic had caused a lot of “pent up feelings” with people being stuck at home, unsure about their jobs and future.
He added that it was “almost inevitable that we would see the growth of violence, especially among younger people and males”.
‘I can understand if some people are a little bit wary. That’s why we have got extra officers out today’