Shoppers have said they no longer feel safe after a woman was stabbed in the neck in an ‘unprovoked attack’ at a bus stop in Birmingham city centre.
The victim, aged in her 30s, suffered a ‘serious injury’ and was rushed to hospital, where she is fighting for her life.
A man in his 20s was arrested close to the scene and is currently in police custody.
Witnesses described seeing a ‘random’ attacker run up and stab the woman as she waited for a bus.
The horror, which unfolded just yards from Birmingham New Street station at 9pm last night, is the third reported stabbing in the city centre in just over a month.
Two 17-year-old boys were knifed outside a Primark store within the space of a week in October.
In the lead up to one of the attacks, around ten men were said to have been involved in a fight near the city’s iconic bronze Bull sculpture.
Tom Jarvis, 20, who was out Christmas shopping today, told Birmingham Live: ‘There was another stabbing near here not long ago.’
‘I was in town that day too. It’s really bad. Not good at all,’ he added.
Daniel Webb, 34, described last night’s attack as ‘really, really disturbing’.
‘Things like this should just never happen though. I don’t understand it and never will,’ he added.
A third shopper said his friend watched the horrific attack unfold. He said that he described people running away from the scene ‘screaming’.
Meanwhile, people reacting to Friday’s attack on social media also said they no longer feel safe in Birmingham city centre.
One person wrote on Facebook: ‘It really is like the Wild West in the Midlands. We live in constant fear of letting our own children go out these days.’
Another added: ‘I hate going out. It is so scary now.’
Last night’s attack also comes after a 19-year-old woman was found with serious injuries and died in the street just seven miles away.
Lily Whitehouse was discovered in Park Street, in Oldbury, at around 9.50pm on Wednesday night.
Mohammed Azim, 41, was charged with her murder and has appeared before Wolverhampton Magistrates’ Court.
West Midlands Police said they are working to ‘establish the exact circumstances of what happened’ in the most recent attack.
Photos from the scene on Smallbrook Queensway show a large blue forensic tent and a police cordon closing off the road.
Detective Inspector James Nix said: ‘We believe this was an unprovoked attack and are working to understand why it happened.
‘We will have officers in the area today to continue our investigation and provide reassurance.
‘We are not currently looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.’
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: ‘A man is in custody after a stabbing in Birmingham last night.
‘We were called to Smallbrook Queensway shortly before 9pm after reports of a stabbing.
‘A woman in her 30s was taken to hospital with a serious neck injury where she remains in a critical condition.
‘A man in his 20s was arrested close to the scene and is in custody at this time.
‘Our officers are at the scene carrying out enquiries as we try to establish the exact circumstances of what happened.
‘Anyone who saw what happened and knows more can contact us via 101 quoting log 5503 of 7 November.’
