A man who was stabbed as he tried to stop car thieves outside his home was an Armenian immigrant who fled to Birmingham to escape violence in his home country. Hirachya Sinanyan, known as Alex, was in a critical condition in hospital last night after the ferocious attack by a teenage gang outside his home in Kingstanding. The 30 year-old, who had lived in the city with his wife for only a year, was stabbed in the chest three times and slashed across the face with a blade in the early hours of Sunday. He was knocked to the ground after confronting four teenage boys and two teenage girls who had set off an alarm while trying to force open his car door. The gang fled empty-handed when a passer-by intervened and Mr Sinanyan staggered to his home, on the Wyrley Birch estate on Lakes Road, soaked in blood. His wife found him slumped in a hallway near their home. He was taken to Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield and was described last night as critically ill in intensive care. Detective Inspector Steve Bimson, who is leading the inquiry, said: "The level of violence which has been inflicted by this group of youths, who are believed to live nearby, make it vital that we find them." It is not known whether Mr Sinanyan was an asylum seeker or if the stabbing had been racially motivated. However, he had alerted the police to a burglary at his home and vandalism since his arrival in Birmingham. Det Insp Bimson said the only description available of the gang was that one of the girls had long dark hair and some would have blood-stained clothing. He said: "The language barrier does raise some problems. We need a translator to speak to Mr Sinanyan's wife, which makes it harder to find out certain details about him. We have talked to her and she is as well as can be expected in the circumstances." Det Insp Bimson advised members of the public not to confront criminals. "It is difficult to know what to do if your people are interfering with your property. The best cause of action is to phone the police," he said. Mr Sinanyan had worked in the Londis convenience store store near his home, but had left in September to protect his partner at home when vandals broke their windows. Yesterday, his former boss Phil Hastings described him as a family-minded, quiet man. He said: "He keeps himself to himself but he always tries to get on with other people. "It is very sad as he came to this country to make a new life for himself and to get away from the violence in Armenia." Anyone with information about any of the attacks can contact police on 0845 113 5000. | 
