Teen killer runs out of station clutching huge zombie knife after murdering boy, 16, in front of terrified commuters

THIS is the moment a teen killer flees from the scene of a horrific murder clutching a huge zombie knife.

The 17-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, stabbed Louis Johnson to death at East Croydon station in London on the afternoon of January 27.

Footage released by the British Transport Police shows the moment the 17-year-old flees the busy train-station clutching the huge weapon.

The boy runs past busy commuters holding the knife to his side, just moments after committing the murder.

Passers-by walk on, completely unaware of the horrific crime that has just been comitted.

Horrified witnesses claimed to have seen a machete-wielding man, and Louis Johnson slumped on the floor bleeding after the attack just after 4.30pm.

He died at the scene and is the first teenager to be murdered in the capital in 2020.

The killer admitted knifing the victim once in the chest, but claimed he acted out of fear he would be stabbed after he was threatened on Snapchat.

The teenager pleaded guilty to having a knife but denied murder.

He was found guilty by an Old Bailey jury on Friday – but has not yet been sentenced.

The court heard that the teenager, then 16, produced a large zombie knife when he saw Louis on the overbridge at the station shortly after 4.30pm on January 27.

Within a few seconds, the victim had suffered a catastrophic stab wound to the chest and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Giving evidence, the killer admitted that he regularly carried knives, having started at the age of 13 to “look cool”.

He claimed to have had previous run-ins with Louis, who he said had made threats against him on Snapchat.

“I thought he was going to stab me. I put my phone in my pocket. I saw him reaching for his waistband,” he told jurors.

“I pulled out my knife and thrust it towards him.”

It emerged shortly after Louis’ death that he told pals he feared he was “marked” moments before he was killed.

The teen had been attacked just hours before the fatal stabbing, prompting Louis to warn his two best friends that someone was trying to “set him up”.

Louis messaged his pals to say he’d been involved in a scuffle with a stranger in Battersea, south west London on the morning of his death.

The teen, from South Norwood, is then believed to have been followed before he was knifed inside East Croydon station during rush hour that evening.

The teenager claimed he did not intend to kill Louis but was found guilty of murder by the jury.

Mark Paul, the head of the complex casework unit at West Midlands Crown Prosecution Service, said: “I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family of Louis Johnson for the loss of their son.

“Both the defendant and Louis Johnson were 16 at the time of the offence which shows just how tragic this case is.

“I hope this case sends out a message about the dangers of knife crime. Just carrying a knife in public is illegal and we will prosecute those who commit knife offences to the fullest extent of the law.”