Three men stabbed near McDonald’s in Birmingham city centre – area sealed off by cops

Police officers swarmed into Dale End in Birmingham city centre this evening after initial reports of multiple stabbings, in which three individuals are believed to have been attacked near a McDonald’s restaurant.

Following the incident, a huge police cordon has been put in place along Bull Street, where Dale End meets High Street. The cordon is in place half way up High Street towards the large Marks & Spencer store.

The attack reportedly took place just before 6pm, with West Midlands Police converging on the area soon after. Officers reported there have been “several casualties” but they could not disclose further details on the scene.

Roads closed around the scene of the crime include those near the NCP car park, Bull Street and Dale End; as officers have told the public the cordon and access shutdown will last several hours.

Some eye-witnesses took to social media to report of there being up to 100 young people hanging around the scene, before the horrifying and violent incident.

I Am Birmingham reporter Rangzeb Hussain – one of the first on the scene – said:

“There was a lot of traffic congestion and chaos at the scene due to the police cordon.

“Buses were struggling to access the road from Carrs Lane towards Bull Street and Dale End.

“The police were moving people on, and there was an air of confusion. Some people I spoke to thought it was a West Midlands Police training exercise, others thought it was a terror alert.

“I have seen groups of teenage boys fighting after school at this location on several occasions. It was only a matter of time before things escalated to knives, or worse.”

Video footage circling on social media and WhatsApp – which we’ve decided not to share out of respect and sensitivity – shows an victim of the stabbings lying still and covered in a blanket on a pavement, surrounded by police officers, shortly after the attacks.

The stabbings come within weeks of similar incidents of knife and gun crime across the city, some of which have proved fatal. It is not as yet known how severe the most recent attacks are.

The Midland Metro stated:

“Police Incident reported in lower Bull Street. This will not affect our service, but we ask those heading in that direction to take the necessary precaution. We will update you as soon as additional information is available.”

Roads closed include near the NCP car park, Dale End, Bull Street and officers have told the public the shutdown will last hours.

In a statement on Twitter, West Midlands Police wrote:

“Police were called just before 5.45pm on October 2 to reports of disorder on High Street in Birmingham city centre.

“Three people are believed to to have suffered stab injuries and are being taken to hospital.

“The extent of their injuries is not clear. A police cordon is in place around the High Street and Dale End area.

“Investigations are at a very early stage and CCTV is being examined.”

Watch exclusive video of the scene of the crime below:

Witnesses can contact us via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk, between 8am to midnight, call 101 anytime or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 giving log number 1842 of 2 October.

Video which could help should be sent to contactusnew_wmp@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk