Birmingham machete attack: Witnesses describe man 'dripping in blood' after being 'targeted'

'His clothes were red. His arms, elbows, his back were all dripping in blood. It was madness,' says bystander

Tile Cross Road, Birmingham (Google Maps)

Witnesses have described the moment a man was "targeted" in a machete attack near a bus stop in Birmingham.

Police are interviewing a man in connection with the rush hour attack on Tile Cross Road in the Kitts Green area of the city.

A local resident told the Birmingham Mail: "A man walked past the shop by the bus stop and another man started chopping him.

"He wouldn’t stop. He carried on hitting him.

“His clothes were red. His arms, elbows, his back were all dripping in blood. It was madness.

“The victim was lying in the middle of the road.”

Police have arrested a 29-year-old man for assault and are hunting a second man who was seen escaping the scene in a blue BMW.

Armed officers sealed off a nearby property in a linked operation but nobody was found inside.

Resident Patricia Higgs, 64, said : "My husband went out to get his paper and everything was cordoned off.

"I saw armed police but then they wouldn’t let us out and told us to stay in.

"It makes me feel terrible. I wouldn’t walk round here on my own."

Detective Inspecot Caroline Corfield, from West Midlands Police, said: “This was a nasty attack that happened in a busy area in broad daylight this morning.

“We’ve already had several witnesses come forward and I’d ask anyone else who has information about what happened to contact us as soon as possible.

“At this early stage we believe this to have been a targeted attack.

“This kind of violence will not be tolerated and we need your help to bring those responsible to justice.”

Anyone with information should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.