Three men have been convicted of manslaughter after a feud between rival groups sparked a series of clashes that led to a man being fatally stabbed.
Mohib Tasharat, Kasim Ifzaal and Ibrahim Raza were among a group of men who chased and killed Bashir Mohamed in the early hours of 22 April last year.
Mr Mohamed was pursued by cars through Birmingham and then chased on foot before being stabbed in the arm. He bled to death at the scene in Ladywood.
Through CCTV and other enquiries we quickly identified Tasharat, aged 24, and 26-year-old Ifzaal as being among the attackers.
Tasharat, from Wenlock Road, tried fleeing the UK for Pakistan the following day but our officers detained him at Birmingham Airport before he could board a flight.
And we arrested Ifzaal, from Ombersley Road, three days later in Dover as he drove towards the port where he intended catching a crossing to the Continent.
Our investigation led us to arrest 32-year-old Raza on 10 May from his home in Oldfield Road, Birmingham.
Shortly before the 4.20am stabbing Mr Mohamed was involved in a shooting in Fulham Road, Sparkbrook where a shotgun was fired at a house and the front door set alight.
He ran off and robbed a car at gunpoint in Ladypool Road in a bid to escape a group of men who emerged from the attacked property.
They pursued the stolen Audi in a Nissan Note, at times ramming its rear bumper, before both crashed on grassland near Ashton Croft.
Mr Mohamed was cornered in Shyltons Croft by the men – plus others who arrived in more cars having been called in to help with the chase – before he was stabbed.
Audio from a nearby doorbell camera caught the moment one of the offenders shouted “I’ve killed him” before all the men made off.
They were charged with murder but following lengthy deliberations at Birmingham Crown Court the jury were unable to reach a verdict.
All three admitted manslaughter and Tasharat, Ifzaal and Raza were jailed for 11, 10 and six-and-a-half years respectively during sentencing on Friday (29 April).
A fourth man, Nabil Akhtar, was cleared of involvement in the killing.
We believe three other men were involved and fled the country just hours after the killing; we’re working to find them and bring them back to the UK.
Detective Inspector Laura Harrison from our Homicide Unit said: “There was clearly some kind of dispute between two groups, which we believe escalated when a car deliberately rammed into a dessert shop in Ladypool Road last May.
“We believe that prompted the arson attack on the house in Fulham Road and the shocking fallout from that which saw Mr Mohamed chased and fatally stabbed.
“These men pursued the victim for several minutes in cars and were determined to cause him serious harm.”
A 27-year-old man suspected of petrol bombing the house in Fulham Road before the stabbing is due to stand trial for arson and gun possession at a later date.
