‘Scared’ neighbours describe moment gunshots fired after cannabis farm found in Birmingham street

A car crash and gunshots fired in a Birmingham^[1] backstreet has left residents ‘shocked and scared’ after armed police swarmed their road. The incident took place in Montague Road in Erdington^[2], shortly after 10pm on Thursday (December 15) night.

Residents reported a loud bang caused by cars crashing into each other and then one saw a man firing a gun at a car up the street, which soon afterwards was swarming with police. Some of those involved in the incident kicked down a gate and fled through a back garden over a fence.

Another was arrested in the road, with police shouting at him to ‘lay down’ before he had handcuffs placed on him. One resident reported '15 to 20 men' were seen in the road and believed to be connected to the incident, which is linked to a £100,000 cannabis farm find in the road.

Three cars, believed to be a Volvo, Honda and Renault, were said to have been involved in a crash, which sparked the gun shots, and police presence. The drama unfolded at around 10.15pm.

The cars were ‘smashed up like they had been driven into each other' one witness said. Car bits and smashed glass were left scattered on the road on Friday, after police supervised recovery truck drivers removing the cars earlier that day.

A woman and her partner were watching a film, John Wick, on their TV and listening to it in surround sound. The woman said: “We heard a massive bang and it made me jump. We saw two smashed up cars. They had proper smashed into each other.

“One guy went to drive off but his tyre was at an angle. You could hear it scraping up the road. People were running up the road. Within five minutes we heard sirens and armed police were walking up the road.

“People were at their windows and people were calling them down. This morning no cars could leave the street. I had to be taken up the road by an officer to leave the cordon.”

Another resident in the road said he witnessed gunshots being fired after the cars crashed. He said: “At first it sounded like a skip dropping. That must have been the crash. I then heard two gunshots. A man was standing by a silver car and shot up towards a black Volvo.

“I ran to lock my backdoor. They kicked my gate off and ran through my back garden and jumped over a fence. The police came in with a dog. I told my lad to stay in.”

People were seen ‘running with sticks’ a woman said. “This country should be safe,” she said. “It was scary.” Another said there were people ‘running, screaming and shouting’ in the road. There could have been ‘15 to 20 people’.

She said ‘two cars drove into each other’. “People came out and went back in quickly,” she said “I heard a gunshot noise. I was shaking. A guy tried to hide in our garden.

“I can’t believe it’s happened in our road. Feel it isn’t safe anymore.”

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A man living in the street said he ‘heard a couple of bangs. He said: “It’s just shocking. We always get kids messing about. But this led to firearms officers and police dogs, officers were patrolling the street.

“A silver car over the road had been hit from behind. Possibly a Honda Jazz. A black Volvo XC 90 was involved and a blue Renault. The road was shut off.

“I came out at 6am to go to work and they wouldn’t let any vehicles out. I work in Leicester and had to notify them I wouldn’t be in.”

‘Forensics officers’ were in the road one said and were in the corner by a white-fronted house . At one point a man was found and arrested near that house. One man who was at work, was told about the incident by his wife, came back and witnessed the arrest around 11pm.

He told BirminghamLive: “A police dog was involved. They had a drone up too with a thermal camera. Police told him to put his hands up. They were shouting at him giving him commands. They told him to lay down.

“He complied and they handcuffed him. There were around 20 officers, two dog units. I think people came to rob that place,” he said, pointing to the house with the police car outside. “I have lived here 10 years. It’s a bit concerning.”

A woman said: “I’m shocked. My neighbour texted me and said ‘did you hear the gunshot?’. I said ‘it was cars backfiring’. And she said ‘no, the police were here’.

“I popped out and went out to the gate. The police had sealed off both ends. There were armed police in the road, all dressed in black. Twelve or more.

“There were two cars taken away a silver one and a black one further up the road. The police came to me at 1.45am wanting to know what had gone on. They said ‘there was a cannabis farm. And the noises weren't cars backfiring. It was bullets’.”

Another said she ordered a takeaway which came around 11pm and the delivery driver could not get down the road. She came out and saw police in her street.

While one woman said there are three cannabis farms in the nearby streets run by the same people. She said the police do not know about two of them. While a woman who has lived in the road ’80 years’ said she was ‘not surprised in this day and age’.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police^[5] said: "We’ve recovered a shotgun and arrested a man following a shooting in Erdington on Thursday (December 14) night. We were called to Montague Road at around 10.15pm to reports that a gun had been fired.

"Officers recovered a shotgun at the scene and arrested a man aged 27 on suspicion of possession of a firearm. We believe the shooting may be linked to a cannabis factory with around 100 plants, which was discovered on the same street by officers who were called to the shooting.

"Officers remain at the scene while the investigation continues. Anyone with information has been asked to get in touch via 101 or Live Chat, quoting log 4977 of 14 December."

References

1. ^{^} Birmingham (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Erdington (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Shooting 'linked to cannabis factory' on same street (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
4. ^{^} Get the latest court and crime news delivered direct to your inbox (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
5. ^{^} West Midlands Police (www.birminghammail.co.uk)