Four men killed in Bradford crash revealed to be of Pakistani origin

KARACHI/BRADFORD: Four people who were killed Thursday in a car crash post-police chase in Bradford, West Yorkshire, have been identified as Pakistani-origin males.

According to British media and this correspondent, an unmarked West Yorkshire Police car was following the vehicle carrying the four men before it hit a tree on Toller Lane junction near Bradford's Bingley Road.

The deceased were identified Friday night as Murtaza Chaudhry (alternatively known as Muthaza Choudhury Murthi) and Arbaaz (Arbaz) Hussain, both 21, Zeeshan Khalid, 20, and Tayyab (Tayyub) Siddique, 22. They were all Pakistani-origin residents of Bradford.

Authorities confirmed the incident, with Miranda Biddle — the regional director of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), to which the case was referred to — saying the group was travelling in a grey BMW and that an unmarked West Yorkshire Police car "made contact".

"We are aware that there is some concern that the police vehicle made contact with the BMW prior to the crash.

"Having reviewed some of the evidence already, we can confirm there is no indication of this," the IOPC added, as per the BBC.

Zaff, an area resident, told the publication that he heard "a loud screeching followed by a loud bang".

Soon after, according to Telegraph & Argus, a local news website, family members of the deceased reached the site of the crash. Chaudhry's cousin, Faisal Ali, said: "He was a young lad enjoying life. He was an outgoing lad.

"He had just come out college, he had his life ahead of him. I'm devastated."

In a statement issued after the arrived at the crash site, councillors from Heaton commented: “It’s a very sad day for Heaton, to lose four young people like that.

“We don’t know the circumstances. We are just trying to keep things calm at the moment and letting the police get on with their investigation.”

While the IOPC said they had commenced a probe into the incident, it explained that "the time between the police car first having sight of the BMW and the collision with the tree is approximately one minute according to the evidence we have analysed so far".

"Our investigation will focus on the circumstances of the pursuit and the actions of the officers involved, who are all being treated as witnesses."

—Editing and copy by Haseem uz Zaman