PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Three men were mowed down by a car and killed while protecting their community from looters, it has been claimed.
The trio - including two brothers - were on guard protecting shops at 1am on Wednesday in the Winson Green area of Birmingham when the car was driven at them, a witness said.
Two of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene and the third died on Wednesday morning in City Hospital.
Speaking to the media outside the hospital, which is less than a mile from the crime scene, Mohammed Shakiel said the car sped off after striking the men at up to 50mph.
The victims, aged between 20 and 31, were part of a group of men gathered to protect shops used by all sections of the community, Mr Shakiel said.
The 34-year-old carpenter said: "We got a call that there had been a car that had been set alight and a group of youths had moved further up the road. They put the fire out but there were still yobs on the street - they had no agenda other than simple stealing."
He added that several cars then drove past the group on guard, and the occupants shouted abuse before one vehicle returned and mounted the pavement at "tremendous speed" and hit the men, throwing them into the air.
Mr Shakiel said of the victims, who have not yet been named: "They lost their lives for other people, doing the job of the police. They weren't standing outside a mosque, a temple, a synagogue or a church - they were standing outside shops where everybody goes. They were protecting the community as a whole."
West Midlands Police, who launched a murder inquiry, confirmed they had arrested a 32-year-old man on suspicion of murder and recovered a car. The force said it is understood that the three victims were on foot in Dudley Road when the incident occurred.
Another friend of the victims, who declined to give his name, said one of the men ran a local car wash, while another worked as a mechanic.