Murder suspect, 33, is arrested after man is knifed to death and another injured in Leamington Spa

A 33-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was knifed to death and another left fighting for his life this morning.

Warwickshire Police are also looking for a fourth man who was seen running away from Royal Leamington Spa town centre just before 11am.     

A builder working nearby said earlier that he saw a man running from the scene ‘dripping with blood.’

He said: ‘He came up the road and was panicking. You could see he was dripping with blood. He kept saying: “He tried to kill me”. 

The area where the attack happened is in the heart of the student area in the town. The body of a man could be seen beneath a tarpaulin tent this afternoon

‘Then he tried hiding behind my van. He asked me to phone him a taxi. He said he wanted to go to his mum’s house in Warwick. 

‘There was no way I was going to. I told him “no”, and he just started walking up the road. He was only a kid.’ 

Chief Superintendent Ben Smith said: ‘We have arrested a 33-year-old man from Leamington on suspicion of murder and he remains in police custody at this time. 

‘Officers are also trying to locate another suspect believed to be involved in this incident who was last seen at 11.30am in Emscote Road at the junction of Fosberry Road in Warwick.

‘He is described as a young black male and is believed to have sustained an injury to his leg.’

Detectives refused to say whether they recovered a weapon. Passengers on a bus are believed to have witnessed the attack. 

A roofer who saw the aftermath of the incident said: ‘I’ve been told that both lads were 18.

‘The lad who died has suffered multiple knife injuries. The other fella had injuries to his abdomen but I’ve been told they think he will live.

‘A third fella ran up the road. He was running and out of breath. He said: ‘They tried to kill me, they tried to kill me.”

Along Tachbrook Road, around a quarter of a mile from the murder scene, a newsagent was closed by police.

Local resident Shauna Reilly walks her children to nursery via Tachbrook Road and said the route was shut by police after the stabbing

It is believed the man who fled the scene was caught on CCTV outside Tachbrook Convenience Store.

A notice in the window read: ‘Closed because of police incident’.

Detectives were also looking at an alleyway close to the murder scene, where is is thought the suspect hid for around five minutes.

An eyewitness said: ‘I saw him crouched down between two vans and then go into a small alleyway.

‘You could see an object down his trousers. It was pretty obvious he was hiding something.’  

Police and ambulance crews were called to the road just before 11am. Police have cordoned off the area while forensics teams conduct a fingertip search.

The area where the attack happened is in the heart of the student area in the town. The body of a man could be seen beneath a tarpaulin tent this afternoon.

Police would not reveal if any other people were involved in the knife attack. 

One passer-by said: ‘There were at least half a dozen police cars racing past. Then came the ambulances and fire engines. 

Juliana Petruchio, 41, a clinical research assistant who lives nearby, said: ‘I was leaving to go shopping earlier when it happened. There was a young guy who said the street was closed off when I got back.

Police would not reveal if any other people were involved in the knife attack. Pictured: The road cordoned off by police

‘There is a lot of police on the road. It is so freaky, my son was scared and I’m pretty shaken up by it as well.

‘My son and I were just leaving when we saw the road had been closed.’

Retired shopkeeper and local resident Gurmeet Singh, 68, said: ‘I heard what had happened from my son.

‘He called me asking about the incident. He was asking after me and was scared for me. I was coming from the shop when I saw police cars stationed down the road.

‘It is a bit of a shock, to be honest. It’s a horrible thing to happen on your doorstep.

Local resident Shauna Reilly walks her children to nursery via Tachbrook Road and said the route was shut by police after the stabbing.

One man died at the scene while another man was rushed to hospital. Police have cordoned off the area while forensics teams conduct a fingertip search

‘It’s very worrying, things like this have happened too many times recently,’ the 29-year-old, who works from home, told the PA news agency.

‘Scares the hell out of me. Hate my children being around all this horrible stuff.’ 

A spokesperson from Warwickshire Police said: ‘We are responding to a report of two people being stabbed in Tachbrook Road, Leamington Spa.

‘One male has been declared dead at the scene and another taken to hospital.

‘The incident was reported to police at 11.01am. Anyone with information that could help police with their enquiries should call 101 quoting incident 137 of January 15.’

A spokesperson from West Midlands Ambulance Service said: ‘West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to reports of a stabbing involving two people on Tachbrook Road in Leamington at 10.58am this morning.

‘Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance attended the scene.

‘Ambulance staff arrived to find two patients, both men, who had sustained serious injuries.

‘Despite the best efforts of ambulance staff, one man was sadly confirmed deceased on scene.

‘A second man received advanced trauma care from ambulance staff before being taken by land ambulance on blue lights to a major trauma centre for further emergency care.’