Neighbour’s shock as teenage boy becomes Manchester’s latest knife crime victim

Neighbours have told of their shock after a teenage boy was stabbed in north Manchester.

The 16-year-old was taken to hospital after being knifed on Grangewood Drive in Harpurhey on Tuesday evening. He was later discharged and is today thought to be back home.

One witness told how he saw the lad being treated by paramedics as he sat on a tree stump. A black balaclava was also seen on the floor nearby. The witness said it appeared the boy had been stabbed in the chest and arm.

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He added: “He was lucky. My grandson had just called an ambulance for his dad and when the paramedics got here he told them to go see the lad who’d been stabbed instead.

“He was sat on the tree stump. He only only looked young, he was a thin little thing. It looked like he’d been stabbed in the chest and the arm. The paramedics put a big plaster on his chest. They were seeing to him for about 20 minutes then they took him away in the ambulance.

“All the kids hang around the ginnels between the houses and outside the takeaway. Last night there were probably about eight or nine of them hanging about, but then more seemed to turned up after it happened.”

Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “The helicopter was up and there were two police vans, two ambulances and loads of people out in the street. There was a black balaclava on the floor.

“We heard he got stabbed three times. It’s nothing new round here. There’s always something happening. If it’s not a stabbing it’s a car being torched or neighbours kicking off. They’re just kids, but it’s kids that are getting hurt. It’s sad. No-one should be getting stabbed.”

Police are appealing for witnesses.

In a statement,a GMP spokesperson said: “Police were called around 6.10pm on Tuesday, March 22 to Grangewood Drive, Manchester to a report that a 16-year-old boy had been stabbed. He was taken to hospital but has since been discharged. Enquiries are ongoing.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 1146 or 101 quoting incident 2532 of March 22. Alternatively, details can be passed via the LiveChat at www.gmp.police.uk or via the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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