Three Asian men struck by car and killed in hit-and-run attack 'as they protected their neighbourhood from rioters'

Three Asian men struck by car and killed in hit-and-run attack 'as they protected their neighbourhood from rioters' - One man arrested and a vehicle recovered from near the scene - aThree men died after they were hit by a car in a hit-and-run incident in Birmingham in the early hours of this morning.

The trio - two brothers, aged 25 and 21, and a friend - had just emerged from a mosque and were on the streets protecting their car wash business after the previous night's violence, according to a family member.

Kabir Khan Isakhel, a relative of one of the dead brothers, told Sky News this morning that two cars had approached at high speed and struck the trio.

He said: 'They were not in the way or blocking the road. The car swerved towards them. They went flying up in the air.'

Scene: Three men are dead after they were struck by a car near the Jet garage on Dudley Road in Birmingham

Carnage: The men passed away at Birmingham City Hospital after suffering 'significant injuries'

A police source said: 'As far as we understand, there was an altercation in the street in the early hours of the morning, and these three men were allegedly mown down by one man in one car.

'It's difficult to say at the moment whether the incident is linked to earlier unrest, but we are investigating.'

The Birmingham Mail has reported local social media accounts that the deceased had been involved in a brawl with looters as they defended property from rioters.

The trio were hit by the car while on Dudley Road, near the Jet Filling Station, close to the border with Cape Hill in Smethwick.

Murray McGregor, a spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS), said members of the public were attempting resuscitation on the men when the ambulance arrived, but that it quickly became apparent they had all suffered 'significant injuries'.

Mr McGregor added that some of his colleagues had been attacked by a mob wielding weapons including baseball bats while they were attending emergency calls in Birmingham that night, which he described as 'just awful'.

Paramedics attending the call to the hit-and-run found around 80 people at the scene when they arrived.

Mob-rule: Emergency services reported around 80 people gathered on the street at the time of the incident

A relative of two of the dead men said they were on the streets protecting their business because of violence the previous night

A police spokesman said: 'West Midlands Police have launched a murder inquiry, arrested one man in connection with the incident and recovered a vehicle from near the scene which will be examined by forensics experts.'

The three were taken to Birmingham City Hospital, where a large crowd gathered this morning at around 5.45am and police in riot gear stood guard at the main entrance.

An ambulance service spokesman said: 'The incident took place close to the Jet filling station on Dudley Road in Winson Green at approximately 1.15am.

'Three ambulances, two rapid response vehicles and an incident support officer was sent to the scene.

'When crews arrived they found around 80 people at the scene with resuscitation ongoing on three men.

'Crews used their advanced life support skills while police officers provided support.'

The ambulance service said two of the men were pronounced dead soon after arriving at hospital, while a third died later in hospital shortly before 7am this morning.

The A457 Dudley Road was closed both ways between Moillett Street and Cavendish Road.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward. ( dailymail.co.uk )