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Road where two-year-old toddler died in ‘hit-and-run’ involving stolen Porsche is ‘plagued by boy-racers’ as police plead with driver to ‘do the right thing’ and hand themselves in
By RORY FLEMING and ED HOLT
Published: | Updated:
Local residents who live on a road where a two-year-old boy was killed in a hit-and-run involving a stolen Porsche have claimed the road is ‘plagued by boy racers’.
The deadly crash occurred on Dartmouth Road in Smethwick, West Midlands, on Saturday.
A toddler tragically died and has left four adults hospitalised with a 29-year-old woman and 30-year-old man said to be in a ‘serious condition’.
Following the collusion, nearby residents have spoken out about the plight of boy racers impacting their local community.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Russell George claimed he had been expecting such an incident ‘for a while’.
The 53-year-old said: ‘It’s dreadful what’s happened. When I came back on Saturday night I could see the road was blocked off.
‘It’s really, really sad that it involved a small child.’
He also claimed to have called the police earlier that evening after witnessing motorists speeding down the road.
The incident occurred along Dartmouth Road in Smethwick at around 11pm on Saturday night
West Midlands Police have now launched a manhunt for the driver of a grey Porsche Cayenne, which can be worth around £80,000
Mr George added that racing in the area had been ‘really bad’ with people, and even families, allegedly gathering on the residential street to watch the dangerous driving.
Close to the site of Saturday’s crash, three young men were recently handed suspended sentences for breaching the injunction after clocking speeds of 70mph on a 40mph.
Two men and a woman who organised illegal street racing in the West Midlands were also handed lengthy jail sentences.
Local police are aware of the ‘untold misery’ and have previously condemned dangerous motorists.
Speaking earlier this month, Ch Insp Keeley Bevington, from West Midlands Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: ‘Street racing causes untold misery and danger to other motorists and people living in the area.’
West Midlands Police have now launched a manhunt for the driver of a grey Porsche Cayenne, which can be worth around £80,000.
Officers believe he hit the Toyota as it travelled from a roundabout on Kenrick Way before the suspect fled the scene.
Further enquiries by West Midlands have revealed that the car had been stolen earlier this month.
Following the collusion, nearby residents have spoken out about the plight of boy racers which are impacting the local community
Speaking to their ongoing efforts, a force spokesperson said: ‘Our officers are offering support to all those involved at this awful time.
‘We continue to urge the driver of a suspected stolen Porsche Cayenne, believed to be involved, to come forward.’
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said previously: ‘Our thoughts remain with the family of the little boy at this extremely difficult time.
‘I would urge the driver of the Porsche to do the right thing and come and talk to us.
‘They made the wrong decision to run away and I’m asking them now to make the right one.
‘I also want to appeal to anyone who witnessed the collision and hasn’t already spoken to us, or has CCTV or dash-cam footage to get in touch.’
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, Live Chat online or by emailing SCIU@westmidlands.police.uk quoting log 4421 of December 14.
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