The family of a teenage boy who died after a non-stop collision in Leicester have made a heartfelt plea urging the public to help find the driver of the car.
Samuel Garner, 17, of Hamilton, Leicester was crossing Welford Road, outside HMP Leicester, with a group of friends when a black BMW 5 Series collided with him.
Samuel sustained serious injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. A teenage girl sustained minor injuries.
The collision occurred just after 11pm on Sunday (1 May), the vehicle failed to stop at the scene and was last seen driving off towards Almond Road.
The BMW had been stolen from the Blaby area on Friday 29 April, it was subsequently found burnt-out in College Road, Whetstone around 3.45am yesterday morning (Monday 2 May).
Samuel’s parents Scott and Tracie Garner, urge the public to help find those responsible for the death of their son.
They said:
“Samuel was the perfect son, grandson and friend. He was thoughtful, loving and had a great sense of humour.
“He was due to turn 18 tomorrow and we were going to fly out to Prague this morning to celebrate.
“He loved watching wrestling and had achieved his second degree black belt in Taekwondo. He spent Sunday afternoon with his family watching the Leicester City match before heading into the city centre, wearing his white LCFC football shirt, with some friends to celebrate a friend’s birthday.
“He was looking forward to going to a nightclub for the first time and was a typical teenager who loved all sorts of music. His paternal grandparents, Glenn and Paula, had bought him tickets to see Kasabian at the King Power Stadium for his 18th birthday and he was due to start an apprenticeship next week.
“He was our world and will always be in our hearts. Help the police find who was responsible. If you’ve heard any rumours about who the driver was please come forward.”
Detective Sergeant Mark Partridge from East Midlands Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said:
“We are in the process of gathering as much information as possible about the collision and the events leading up to it.
“We would like to speak to anyone who may have seen the BMW prior to the collision.
“Did you see it driving around the city centre or have you heard any rumours about who the driver or the occupants are?
“Any information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, could help us find those responsible.”
If you can help please contact DC 1288 Paul Bingham on 101, quoting incident 727 of 1 May.