German police are investigating the stabbing of a man on a Berlin tram early Thursday morning.
The victim was attacked around 2.30am on the M2 tram at Karl-Liebknecht-Straße in the city's Mitte district.
An argument broke out between the two men moments before the stabbing, police sources told the Berliner Morgenpost. During the argument one man pulled out a knife and stabbed the other, they added.
The victim was left bleeding heavily in the carriage, while the suspect opened the doors and fled on foot, BILD reports. The suspected knifeman is still at large.
Police swiftly attended the scene and the injured man was treated for a stab wound to the upper arm. The victim was taken to a hospital by an ambulance crew and an emergency doctor, the Berliner Morgenpost reported.
The incident comes after knife-free zones were implemented earlier this year in three Berlin areas - Görlitzer Park, Kottbusser Tor and Leopoldplatz - where knife crime is disproportionately high.
“Last night's case shows once again what a placebo the three knife ban zones are,” Benjamin Jendro of the Berlin police union GdP said.
“Knife violence is a city-wide problem, and many young men in particular seem to have one in their pockets.”
The trade unionist said the solution is a general ban on carrying knives with fines and consequences.
“The general view of knives must change in our society and that would be a clear signal that would help in the long term.”
Police are investigating the incident and searching for the perpetrator.
“We are analysing all available material for this,” a police spokesperson told the Berliner Morgenpost.
Video footage from the tram made available by The Berlin Transport Authority (BVG) is thought to be amongst the evidence being analysed.
