Two cars were used in a “concerted plan” to draw a crowd out on to a street before a third ploughed into three men during the riots in Birmingham last summer, a court has been told.
A jury at Birmingham Crown Court was been shown CCTV footage of the moment when brothers Shahzad Ali, aged 30, and Abdul Musavir, aged 31, and Haroon Jahan, aged 21, were hurled into the air.
Adam King, 24, of no fixed address, Joshua Donald, 27, of Kelsall Croft, Ladywood, Ian Beckford, 30, of Hollybush Road, Quinton, Ryan Goodwin, 21, of Cranford Street, Smethwick, Shaun Flynn, 26, of no fixed address, Everton Graham 30, of no fixed address, Juan Ruiz-Gaviria, 31, of Coplow Street, Ladywood, and Aaron Parkins, 18, of Cavendish Road, Edgbaston, have all denied three charges of murder.
Timothy Spencer QC, prosecuting, said the three men had been killed in the early hours of August 10 last year at a time when there was widespread disorder across the country and in Birmingham.
He said in the Winson Green area tension had been ratcheted up between gangs of youths, driving in vehicles, looking for places to raid or loot and a crowd which had gathered to try and protect businesses.
Mr Spencer said the defendants had been in three cars, a Mazda an Audi and a Fiesta, and shortly before the incident the Mazda driver, Beckford, had received a call from his brother saying his car had been attacked by the crowd.
The CCTV images showed the Audi braking and swerving as it travelled along Dudley Road, while the other two vehicles held back.
Moments later an arm was extended from the driver's side of the Mazda car, which then started to move along the road, with the Fiesta by its side.
A crowd gathered on the pavement were seen walking into the road following the Audi, and later the Fiesta.
He said the Audi, which had missiles thrown at it, had driven down Dudley Road to draw the crowd out and that the Fiesta then drew the crowd out even further.
Mr Spencer said: "(The Audi) is clearly trying to draw the attention of the crowd and to draw the crowd to it and out of the mouth of the road."
He added: "Because of the actions of the Audi and the Fiesta the attention of the crowd, or many of them, was on those two vehicles.
"Had they not done what they did those in the crowd, particularly those in the road, would have been more aware of the oncoming third car, the Mazda.
