Two teenagers have died after a vehicle hit a number of pedestrians last night during a "car meet" crash that saw two others left with life-threatening injuries.
A 19-year-old man and a 16-year-old girl were pronounced dead at the scene in Oldbury, West Midlands following the incident involving a blue Nissan Skyline on the A457 at around 11.30pm.
Another man and woman in their 20s were also left with life-threatening injuries.
The car was removed from the scene at around 8.30am today, about nine hours after the crash, according to witnesses at the scene.
West Midlands Police said a 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in police custody.
The force said the group had “gathered” at the roadside late last night shortly before the tragedy.
A post on social media questioned the local Sandwell Police after they announced there had been a serious crash last night.
One person asked: "Sunday night Street racing gone wrong?"
Back in the summer Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Walsall councils announced they were applying for a High Court injunction to ban "street racing" in the Black Country.
Along with the police they were seeking a ban on street racing, also known as car cruising, across the four boroughs.
Det Sgt Paul Hughes, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, 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."
A West Midlands Ambulance spokeswoman added: "On arrival crews discovered five patients. The first and second were a man and a teenage girl, who were pedestrians, in a critical condition.
"Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of ambulance staff it became clear that nothing more could be done to save them and they were confirmed deceased at the scene.
"Two more pedestrians, a woman and a man had sustained life-threatening injuries. They received advanced trauma care from ambulance staff at the scene and en route to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
"The fifth, the driver of the car was assessed by ambulance staff at the scene. He had sustained non-life threatening injuries and was discharged at the scene.”
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 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?"
Back in June 2021, two men were jailed after unauthorised car cruise event left 19 people injured in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.
The incident took place on July 18, 2019, when people and their cars gathered at the Roaring Meg Retail Park to attend an unauthorised car cruise.
Officers were called at around 9.45pm following reports that two cars, which had been driven at speed in the area, had collided and subsequently hit crowds.
An intensive investigation by the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Serious Collision Investigation Unit was conducted and, almost two years on, two men were jailed, Herts Live reports.
Dominic Brown, 21, from Park Street Lane, St Albans, and Julian Castano-Perez, also 21, from Fitzwalter Place, Dunmow in Essex, were charged with 19 offences in connection with the collision.
Dominic Brown was sentenced to five years imprisonment and was disqualified from driving for seven-and-a-half years.
Julian Castano-Perez was jailed for four years and given a seven year and four month driving ban.
Both drivers were charged with eight offences of serious injury by dangerous driving and 11 offences for wanton/furious driving.
Prior to the case coming to court, both drivers pleaded guilty to all charges.
