Cars burn on a street in Ealing, London
Cars burn on a street in Ealing, London Aug. 9, 2011. Looting by groups of hooded youths spread to Ealing in west London and Camden in the north of the British capital late on Monday, the third night of violence which police have blamed on criminal thugs. REUTERS/Toby Melville

The rioting and looting taking over England has turned deadly as it enters a fifth day, as three men were killed by a hit-and-run driver in Birmingham.

Reports from neighbors indicated that the men were attempting to protect their area from rioters when they were struck by the car.

"Three men -- aged 31, 30 and 20 -- were on foot in Dudley Road in the Winson Green area of the city when they were in collision with a car. All later died from their injuries in hospital," read a post on the West Midlands Police Web site. "Detectives will today question a 32-year-old man on suspicion of murder."

Two of the men were brothers, the Daily Mail reported. The father of the 20-year-old who was killed told how he tried to save his son's life as he lay in the street after the hit-and-run, adding that his hands and face were "covered in blood" from his son, Haroon, who died alongside brothers Abdul Nasir, 31, and Shazad Ali, 30.

"I miss him dearly, but two days from now the whole world will forget," the man's father, Tariq Jahan, who pleaded for an end to the violence, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

In London, Scotland Yard added 10,000 officers, as authorities tried to take the offensive. They were reportedly able to stifle the rioting, as peace prevailed as night fell on the capital.

Officers continued to arrest those involved in the disorder both on the street and as a result of detective work, according to a Scotland Yard statement, which rejected claims that officers were initially instructed not to make arrests.

"It is simply wrong to suggest officers were initially told not to actively arrest those involved in disorder," the statement read. "As always the decision to make an arrest is down to the individual officer on the ground who must weigh up whether it is appropriate bearing in mind risks of further inflaming the crowd, wider operational requirements and our ability to gather evidence to arrest later."

In London, a total of 111 officers and 14 members of the public have been injured since the riots began, The Associated Press said.

On the whole, West Midlands police have arrested about 300 people since the disturbances began. The current total for arrests made in London is at 770 people -- including one 11-year-old boy. Between Saturday night and Tuesday morning, 525 arrests were made -- 310 of which were overnight on Monday. Across the country a total of 1,100 arrests have been made.

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