A mother and 10-year-old boy have been killed after a stolen car being chased by police mounted the pavement and ploughed into a family ‘on the way to the park’.
Eyewitnesses claim the woman, believed to be in her late 30s or early 40s, was out with her daughter, 11, nephew and two nieces when they were struck by a black Ford Focus in Penge, South East London, shortly after 2pm.
In the panicked aftermath some 20 passers-by lifted the car off twin seven-year-old girls, while the driver– who initially tried to flee the scene limping before hiding in some bushes – was later arrested.
There has been speculation the stolen vehicle was linked to an abduction at a nearby Sainsbury’s store, with onlookers claiming a woman ran through police tape at the crash scene yelling: ‘That’s my baby, that’s my baby.’
It was also suggested by one eyewitness that the Focus was travelling at ’70mph or 80mph’ shortly before it careered into a grass bank on a housing estate.
Another witness, 18-year-old Venissa Vassell, told how the boy who died had initially seemed fine, but then ‘by the time I came back to speak to the little girl to say “your brother is alright” he was passed out.’
She heard sirens and a car screeching as she walked from the train station and immediately ran to help.
The twin girls were trapped, Miss Vassell said, but ‘crawled out’ when a group of people helped free them by lifting the car up.
Another girl aged around 11, who was later taken away by ambulance, was screaming: ‘I can’t feel my legs’, the teenager added. All three girls were taken to hospital with multiple injuries.
The woman, believed to be from Penge, was understood to be taking her daughter, nephew and two nieces to the nearby Alexandra Recreation Ground when they were hit.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed this evening that a 23-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and theft of a vehicle.
Describing the horror she came across, Miss Vassell said: ‘I did CPR on this lady. I blew in her mouth. It wasn’t working. Her body was trying to revive.’
She said the crash ‘all happened too quick’ and ‘could not explain’ what she saw.
The black Ford involved in the crash was on a grass verge as a helicopter flew overhead. The road remained closed and several police officers were present.
The driver of the car has been arrested and remains in custody at a South London police station, while the Directorate of Professional Standards has been informed.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission has also been told of what happened, and Scotland Yard said its enquiries into the collision continue.
Source: Mail Online
