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Two young teenagers are among the six people who have been arrested on suspicion of murder after a 14-year-old boy was chased and stabbed to death earlier this week.
West Midlands Police said the suspects were all detained within the space of a few hours on Tuesday afternoon, with two suspects found in a vehicle in Cheshire.
It is thought that the victim, who has not yet been formally identified, was chased in the Kingstanding area of Birmingham at about 7.30pm on Monday before being stabbed.
A 33-year-old man was arrested from an address in Kingstanding at 3.35pm followed by a 13-year-old boy who was detained in the Walsall area.
The force said that another man aged 38 and a 14-year-old boy were arrested from a vehicle in Cheshire while two men, aged 36 and 35, surrendered to separate police stations in the West Midlands.
All six suspects remain in police custody.
Detective Chief Inspector Stu Mobberley, who is leading the murder investigation, described the arrests as a “significant step forward” in the case.
“Our officers have executed a series of warrants in the region and we’ve worked with police forces outside the area to apprehend suspects,” Mr Mobberley said.
“We’re still speaking to witnesses and really need to hear from anyone who has seen or heard something, even if they think we may already know or they’re not sure how important it is.”
He added: “We are aware of many different rumours circulating about the motive for the murder but we are keeping an open mind and pursuing all lines of enquiry. We ask people not to speculate on social media.”
Officers have previously suggested that there is “nothing to suggest” the stabbing was racially-motivated, although West Midlands Police says it is “keeping an open mind” about the motive for the attack.
The force has also voluntarily referred the case to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after “looking at previous incidents involving the victim”.
A post-mortem examination confirmed that the teenage boy died from a stab wound to the chest, the force added.
Jack Dromey, the Labour MP for the Birmingham Erdington constituency where the stabbing occurred, said on Tuesday that he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the news as he called for a “renewed focus on the growing problem of knife crime” in the city.
“We are losing too many lives to violent crime and we must ensure those responsible are brought to justice, but we also need to tackle the root causes of these incidents of appalling violence that are blighting local committees,” Mr Dromey said in a statement.
Police have urged anyone with information on the attack to come forward by getting in touch via Live Chat at www.west-midlands.police.uk, or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Additional reporting by PA
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