Teen attacked people and stole cars at tram stop

A "callous" and "violent" teenager who repeatedly attacked people at a tram station as he stole their cars and phones has been jailed.

During his first attack Tyrone Downing, dressed in a balaclava, punched a woman in the face as she tried to escape after he demanded her car keys on 26 July 2024, at Wednesbury Parkway station.

He later slashed a man's arm with a knife in order to steal his iPhone, British Transport Police (BTP) said. He also stole a car from a woman who he attacked as she was pushing her baby.

Downing,19 and from Wednesbury, was sentenced at Wolverhampton Crown Court on 27 August to four years in prison after admitting robbery and stealing cars, among other offences.

Throughout his crime spree, which took place between July 2024 and March 2025, he targeted the same tram stop.

In one of the attacks, a mother who was pushing her baby was struck on the head when she refused to hand over the keys. Downing drove away in her Ford Fiesta.

He also held a woman at knifepoint and pushed her to the ground before fleeing the scene in her Audi A3. He was arrested in Wolverhampton on 19 April 2025.

On Downing's social media accounts detectives uncovered videos he had taken while driving the stolen cars, which were never recovered.

"Tyrone Downing is a callous and violent offender who deliberately targeted women to steal their cars," said Det Con Aaron Murdoch.

"The psychological impact of these offences should not be underestimated, and I hope his prison term provides the victims with some measure of justice and closure."

Before he was sentenced, Downing had pleaded guilty to three counts of robbery, two counts of theft of a motor vehicle and attempted robbery.

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