Fatal Oldbury collision happened at suspected illegal street race, say locals

Two teenagers have been killed and a man and a woman left fighting for life after a car ploughed into a crowd at a suspected illegal street race.

Police arrested a 54-year-old man after a blue Nissan Skyline mowed down several people gathered in Oldbury, on Sunday night (November 20) .

A 19-year-old man and 16-year-old girl died at the scene. A man and woman in their 20s were also rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The horror crash happened when the car careered into the crowd on the A457 Birmingham Road and Oldbury Road at around 11.30pm. A 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in police custody.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, of West Midlands Police, said: "This is a tragic incident and our thoughts remain with all the families affected. We have specialist family liaison officers supporting them at this terrible time.

"We know that there were lots of people who had gathered in the area at the time of the collision and would have witnessed what happened.

“I would urge those people to get in touch if they haven’t already done so. I would ask people not to share videos or photos on social media.

“If you have anything that could help with our investigation, then please get in touch. This is very distressing for the families affected and it’s not appropriate for them to see things that could upset them on social media.

"I want to thank everyone who has provided a statement so far, and ask anyone else with dashcam footage or any other witnesses to contact us."

Illegal car cruising in Oldbury

Residents living nearby say the area is notorious for illegal car cruising, where drivers show off their new motors by racing them in front of a crowd of onlookers.

One local said: “The road is a magnet for car cruising because it’s a very long, mostly straight road and they really get some speed up.

“It’s an absolute tragedy to find out what’s happened. I think the police, as stretched as they are, really need to try and do more to clamp down on it before more people are killed.”

Writing on the West Midlands Police Facebook page, Shah Ikkyy said: "Very very sad, appears road racer lost control and hit crowd gathered watching."

Andy Finch said: "I’m presuming this was part of the illegal street racers from Birmingham that are shutting down areas as they put it on their Instagram. Perhaps the police will actually do something about them now?"

The scene was closed for several hours but it has now re-opened.