A teenager who got out of a taxi and chased and stabbed a schoolboy has been convicted of murder, the Metropolitan police has said. The 17-year-old, who was 16 at the time of the attack on 5 May, was found guilty by a jury at Snaresbrook crown court in London on Friday of murdering Renell Charles. The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was also found guilty of having possession of a bladed article. Renell, 16, a pupil at Kelmscott school in Walthamstow, east London, was killed shortly after the end of the school day in what police described as a “brutal attack”. He was sitting at a bus stop on the busy Markhouse Road with friends at around 4pm when his killer jumped out of a taxi. Police said there was a brief verbal altercation and Renell tried to run away but was chased down and stabbed twice. He was lying defenceless on the ground the second time he was stabbed. Renell tried to get up but collapsed as his attacker fled the scene. He died a short time later. His attacker took deliberate steps to try to evade capture, immediately changing his clothes and swapping sim cards, police said. The teenager stayed in Clapton after the murder to avoid police, who went to his home in Newham the following day. In the early hours of 8 May, he attended Forest Gate police station claiming to be confused as to why police had visited his house. He was arrested on suspicion of murder and charged later that day. At first, the accused told police “no comment” during an interview but later claimed he was in fear of the victim and had acted in self-defence. After the verdict, DCI Mark Rogers said: “The defendant – just a child himself – subjected Renell to a brutal attack over a minor dispute on a busy road in view of countless witnesses. “This is yet another example of a willingness by some to carry and use knives to resolve issues with seemingly no care or thought for the consequences. “Such senseless acts of violence will never cease to shock us all, and in this case made all the more tragic given Renell was so young.” Rogers said the defendant’s attempt to justify his actions as an act of self-defence were contradicted by CCTV and witness evidence, which confirmed he chased Renell before stabbing him. He thanked the jury for “rightly seeing through his lies”. He added: “My thoughts today are with Renell’s family and loved ones. Nothing will ease their pain, but I hope it is of some comfort to them that his killer has been brought to justice.” The 17-year-old is due to be sentenced at the same court on 14 March.