Man and two youths arrested in connection with car deaths

DETECTIVES investigating the deaths of three men hit by a car while protecting shops from looters have arrested two youths and a man on suspicion of murder.

West Midlands Police said the suspects — aged 16, 17 and 26 and all from Birmingham — had been detained by officers investigating the deaths of three men in the Winson Green area of the city. A spokeswoman for the force also confirmed that a 32-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder early yesterday had been released on bail pending further inquiries.

News of the further arrests was announced after the Chief Constable of the West Midlands praised the father of one of the three victims for appealing for calm in the local community.

Haroon Jahan, 21, and brothers Shazad Ali, 30, and Abdul Musavir, 31, suffered fatal injuries when they were stuck by a car which failed to stop shortly after 1am yesterday. After the deaths, it emerged Haroon’s father attempted to revive his son after hearing the car speed away from Dudley Road, Winson Green.

In an emotional appeal for calm to crowds gathered in Dudley Road last night, Tariq Jahan urged those involved in disorder to “respect the memories of our sons” by halting the violence which had broken out on previous nights.

West Midlands Police said last night passed peacefully with no further outbreaks of disorder following Mr Jahan’s appeal.

Chief Superintendent Phil Kay said: “Last night we worked closely with the communities of the West Midlands to appeal for calm and it is pleasing to see that these appeals were listened to and the streets remained quiet and peaceful.

“Our focus was on maintaining a high-visibility presence throughout the night and early hours, which helped prevent any further disorder.

“We have seen the benefits of social media being used responsibly to send positive messages about the situation in the West Midlands and to dispel malicious rumour and innuendo.

“We would like to thank the community for their ongoing support.”

The victims’ deaths were described by Prime Minister David Cameron, who visited Birmingham and Wolverhampton yesterday, as a “dreadful incident”.

Asked what he would say to the men’s families, he replied: “They have my deepest condolences. I think everyone in the country is going to be thinking about them and their families and what happened.”

West Midlands Assistant Chief Ambulance Officer Tracey Morrell said the service had not received any calls to attend incidents of disorder overnight.

“I would like to thank the public for their continued respect for the wishes of the families touched by the dreadful incident in Winson Green,” she said. “Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.”