Teenagers wrestled a driver to the ground as he tried to flee a crash which left three of their friends dead, witnesses have said.
George Wilkinson, 16, Harry Rice, 16, and Josh Kennedy, 17, were waiting at a bus stop with a group of friends in Hayes when they were killed on Friday night.
It’s understood the boys had been on their way to a birthday party at a nearby football club with friends when they were killed.
A 28-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after a black Audi A5, believed to be travelling at speed, mounted the pavement. The suspect was being questioned at a north London police station on Saturday night.
Police are hunting for a second man who is thought to have fled the scene.
Harry Rice, 16, (left) and George Wilkinson, 16, (right) were killed when a black Audi ploughed into them as they made their way to a 16th birthday party
A picture of 17-year-old Josh Kennedy, who was named locally as the third victim of the fatal crash
Police arrested a 28-year-old man after the Audi (pictured) ploughed into the youngsters who were stood at a bus stop in Shepiston Lane, Hayes, west London
The two men jumped from the black Audi A5 and ran but one was caught at a nearby Esso petrol station.
Schools administrator Jake Webb, 18, saw two white youths attacking an Asian man on the side of the road near the scene as he was driving towards Hayes.
He said the Asian man seemed heavily intoxicated, adding: ‘We saw two white boys and they were attacking an Asian man. They were just kicking and punching him.’
He and his friend, Amamdeep Matharoo, 27, were so concerned about the assault they pulled over.
Mr Webb said: ‘I said “can you stop that, we’re going to call 999”.
‘They said “please call the police. He’s hit our friends with his car”. That’s when we realised what was going on.’
Mr Matharoo added: ‘The lads were shouting on the phone. They were saying “three of our friends are dead”. They were hysterical and in pieces.’
Harry’s devastated mother and sister paid tribute to him on Facebook by changing their profile pictures to photos of the smiling teenager (left and right)
Tributes were left to Josh Kennedy, pictured next to an Arsenal badge, as he was named locally as one of the crash victims
Yesterday relatives and friends arrived at the scene of the tragedy to pay their respects and tie flowers to the railings.
One card read: ‘My darling baby boi, my heart is broken. Love always Mum and Vinnie.’
Harry’s heartbroken mother Nicola Sales posted a montage of pictures of him on Facebook.
Friend Liz Irvine commented: ‘We are all in shock at this devastating news. Send our love to you all.’
Harry had signed with semi-pro football club Farnborough Town FC following a successful trial but left the club a few weeks ago, according to reports.
Academy manager Marc Wardley told Sky News the teenager was a ‘quiet and a really nice lad who got on with things, and who could have gone on to play at a decent level’.
George’s mother Sarah Baker posted a picture of herself with him – and the words: ‘My baby boy 16 years old xx’
Danielle Chambers replied: ‘I am beyond sorry for you. I hope you can find a way to get through this devastation.’
Aron Blackwell, George’s brother, said: ‘I don’t have any words. I just miss him, just waiting for him to knock on the door.’
In a tribute online the 30-year-old added: ‘Love you George, you will always be in my heart as the annoying little brother.’
More than 100 mourners descended on the scene clutching blue balloons and flowers to leave at the site yesterday afternoon
Mourners were visibly upset as they made their way to the scene of the collision carrying floral tributes
Three Lucozade bottles were left at the scene of the crash next to the floral tributes
Many were seen attaching blue balloons to the railings of Cherry Lane Cemetery on Shepiston Lane
Members of the public were pictured laying tributes at the scene. One member of staff inside the Goals club, who claimed George was her cousin, said her uncle was ‘devastated’ by the loss of his son
A devastated friend said: ‘It’s all a blur. Five of us were walking to the party and the next moment three of my friends were dead on the ground. The car lost control.’
He added: “We’d all known each other since we were kids, we were like brothers.
‘They loved football, going out, they were just ordinary boys.’
Another pal added: ‘I spoke to one of the boys here last night, they both saw their mates in pieces on the floor.
‘George and Josh were best mates and stuck together like glue, like Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
‘They were all lovely, lovely boys, the best boys you could meet.
‘My friend here last night said an Asian passenger in the Audi ran away from the scene with a bag.
‘I think they got him outside the Premier Inn down the road.’
Police were called to Shepiston Lane in Hayes (pictured) at 8.41pm on Friday night following reports of a road traffic collision. Pictured: The scene of the tragedy yesterday morning
Despite the efforts of paramedics, all three boys were pronounced dead at the scene. Pictured: the scene of the tragedy yesterday
Tony Kitchin, 44, who works as a security guard at a haulage firm nearby, said: ‘This road is busy 24/7. It’s a speed trap.
‘I’m really surprised we haven’t had more horrific accidents like this.’
He added: ‘No parent should have to deal with that. My heartfelt sympathies go out to the family and friends of the people who lost their lives last night.’
Detective Superintendent Jane Shaw, of the Met’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: ‘These are horrific circumstances that have resulted in three young people on a night out losing their lives.’
She added: ‘We know that there was a large party nearby and many people would have been travelling through the area and saw what happened or witnessed the aftermath.
‘I need these witnesses to contact police immediately.
‘We are also particularly keen to trace other motorists travelling through the area at the time.’
EYEWITNESS: ‘IT WAS TERRIBLE, I WILL NEVER FORGET IT’
Witness Jake Webb, 18, pictured at the scene of the tragedy, described seeing two boys attacking a man said to be the driver of the Audi
Witnesses to the devastating crash said they say two boys punching and kicking a person suspected of being the driver of the Audi.
Amandeep Matharoo, 27, and Jake Webb, 18, drove up to the scene and stopped when they saw three people fighting in an Esso garage forecourt and were the first to ring 999.
Amandeep said: ‘I saw the boys fighting in the forecourt of the garage with an Asian guy on the floor, they were punching and kicking him, they told us he had killed their friend and said call the police.
‘We saw two of the boys on the floor and paramedics came within about two minutes and they lifted one of the boy’s arms and it just fell straight back to the floor.
‘The lads were shouting on the phone and saying three of our friends are dead, they were hysterical and in pieces.’
Jake Webb, 18, said: ‘I saw two white boys punching and kicking an Asian man who was in his late 20s, I said stop and that I was going to call the police and they said he had hit our friends.
‘They had already started attacking him in a bush, he was walking away from the scene and they were pushing him.
‘A lone paramedic turned up first and the friends literally drained her ambulance of everything, the boys were trying to take everything out to help their friends.
‘The boys were lying in the road, one was wearing a white jacket.
‘It was just terrible, I will never forget it.’
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