Tasers used following murder case trouble at Birmingham Crown Court
[gallery] Dozens of police have been involved in a dramatic city centre stand-off with groups of youths after a man was tasered in a court building.
Officers surrounded Birmingham Crown Court after tempers flared following a hearing for a teenager charged with the murder of teenage rapper Joshua Ribera. More than 50 police used co-ordinated tactics to drive off two rival groups of angry youths from outside the court, after they became enraged and started shouting at each other and officers.
Uniformed officers, who were already at the court, called for back-up at around 3.30pm yesterday to deal with a group of people in the lobby.
The running stand-off continued with one of the groups through the city centre and into Bull Street just as the streets were filling with shocked school children catching their buses home. Trouble had initially flared inside the court, where there had been a heavy uniformed police presence since the afternoon amid concerns trouble could break out.
Police vans and patrol cars blocked nearby streets as officers tried to contain the disorder at the court at the junction of Dalton Street and Newton Street.
West Midlands Police said an officer 'discharged' a Taser at a man who then ran away from the scene. He is still to be identified and investigations continue.
Surrounding streets were cordoned off for a short time but no injuries were reported to police following the disturbance.
Detectives are speaking to witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage from inside the court. Joshua, known by the name Depzman on the music scene, died after being stabbed in the chest outside TCs nightclub in Selly Oak last September.
He had been at a fundraiser in honour of a friend who had been murdered a year previously.
Mitchell, of The Green, Northfield, Birmingham, was remanded in custody for a trial back at Birmingham Crown Court, due to start on March 3.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "A Taser was discharged at a man who then ran away from the scene. Surrounding streets were cordoned off in the interest of public safety." For video of the disturbance visit expressandstar.com
