Car ‘deliberately hits crowd’ after Premier League match

Police are hunting for a hit-and-run driver who hit a crowd of people after a Premier League match.

The driver “deliberately” ploughed into fans outside Villa Park in Birmingham after Aston Villa played against Crystal Palace yesterday afternoon.

Emergency services scrambled to the scene on Witton Road in Aston shortly after 5.15pm yesterday following reports of a vehicle collision involving several pedestrians.

West Midlands Police continue to investigate and examining a wealth of CCTV to identify the vehicle involved.

One Aston Villa supporter told BirminghamLive it was fortunate no-one was killed after suffering serious leg injuries just minutes after the team’s 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

The 33-year-old victim described how a big black-coloured car allegedly mounted the pavement and accelerated – striking her and others on Witton Road, close to Manor Road, in Aston, at around 5.15pm, on Saturday, November 23.

She had managed to move her 85-year-old grandmother out of the way, but ended up going over the car’s bonnet instead.

She was left “shocked and shaken” after the collision having suffered ligament damage, heavy bruising and will also have to wear a leg brace for a number of weeks.

The victim, who had been at the Villa match with her grandmother and niece, told BirminghamLive: “What was meant to be a good game of football ended up with me getting hit by a car, which struck me on the side of the knee. Was coming out of Villa about to cross the road and this big black car accelerated straight into us.

“I had shoved my elderly relative out the way and went onto the bonnet. He literally went into me, drove up the pavement into other people apparently. People around me were screaming. He hit multiple people, some people tried chasing after him.

“Many witnesses helped me up, but it could have been a lot worse. It has shaken me up and scared everyone. How no-one got killed I don’t know. It was absolutely reckless driving from him. Police were made aware and this has been reported to them.”

She added: “I wasn’t walking on the road. The car had stopped letting people cross, the police know all this. If it was an accident he would have stopped. The fact he hit other people and the way he went up the pavement you don’t do that as a qualified driver, you follow the highway code.

“I’m very sensible and know about safety. I would never ever put my family in a position like that, so it was definitely deliberate. Why would you go up a pavement and speed off super quick?”

A police spokesman told BirminghamLive: “We were called to a collision involving a car and pedestrians in Witton Road, Aston, yesterday (Saturday). Thankfully no-one was seriously injured. We are investigating and carrying out CCTV inquiries to identify the vehicle.

“If you witnessed this incident and can help with our investigation, contact us via Live Chat on our website or by calling 101, quoting log 3654 of 23 November.”