Two teenagers have been charged with the murder of Kelyan Bokassa, the 14-year-old boy who was stabbed to death on a London bus last week.
The pair, aged 15 and 16, but who cannot be named, were charged in the early hours of Thursday morning.
They will appear at Bromley Youth Court later today.
The Metropolitan Police said that three arrests were made on Wednesday, January 15, following a nine-day-long manhunt by the force’s Specialist Crime Command.
PICTURED: Police officers at the scene of the stabbing in Woolwich
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Alongside the two teenagers, a 44-year-old woman was arrested for assisting an offender – and has since been released under investigation.
The Crown Prosecution Service’s David Malone said: “We have today authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge two teenagers with murder following the tragic death of Kelyan Bokassa in Woolwich on January 7, 2025.
“The boys, aged 15 and 16, who cannot be named at this stage in legal proceedings, will appear at Bromley Youth Court for a first hearing on Thursday January 16.
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The boy was stabbed on a 472 bus in Woolwich, southeast London
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“Our thoughts remain with Kelyan’s family and friends at this difficult time.”
Emergency services had descended on the scene in Woolwich, southeast London, last Tuesday after reports of a stabbing on the 472 bus.
“Despite the best efforts of our crews, a teenager was pronounced dead at the scene,” the Met’s Chief Superintendent Louise Sargent said, and offered condolences to Bokassa’s family.
PICTURED: A person leaves flowers next to a bus stop on Woolwich Church Road
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Last October, the Metropolitan Police said it was stepping up efforts to reduce knife crime across the capital.
In 2023, the latest year for which full data is available, there were more than 15,000 knife related offences in London – over 2,000 more than the year before.
The number of teenagers stabbed to death in the capital across that year stood at 18, five more than the number of youngsters killed in 2022.