'Major Incident' Declared In Birmingham After Multiple Stabbings
A major incident has been declared in Birmingham after multiple people were stabbed in the city centre in the early hours of Sunday morning.
West Midlands Police said there were “a number” of victims, but the severity of their injuries was not immediately known.
Officers were called to reports of a stabbing at around 12.30am on Sunday, which was then followed by reports of other incidents in the area.
The force said: “We are aware of a number of injured people, but at the moment we are not in a position to say how many or how serious.
“However, all emergency services are working together at the scene, and making sure that those who are injured receive medical care.
“Work is still going on to establish what has happened, and could take some time before we are in a position to confirm anything. At this early stage it would not be appropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident.”
#UPDATE | We can confirm that at approximately 12:30am today we were called to reports of a stabbing in #Birmingham city centre.
We immediately attended, along with colleagues from the ambulance service. A number of other stabbings were reported in the area shortly after.— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) September 6, 2020
Police said the response would be ongoing “for some time” and urged people to stay away from the scene.
A spokesperson for the force also explained that while they were aware of comments about gunshots being fired during the incident, they had not yet received any reports about gunfire.
One witness, Cara, told BBC Radio Five Live she thought it was “one group of boys against another group of boys”, adding that she had heard racial slurs during the incident.
She said: “They were not just having an argument and then fighting, it was straight into fists being thrown. There was not much talking going on.
“Drinks were being dropped, bottles that they had obviously bought in the club, rings were falling off so jewellery was going everywhere, clothes...
