Police seek to solve mystery of how Luton teen found lying in road came by 'critical injuries'

Detectives in Luton are asking for help to find out how a teenager came by injuries that left him critically injured in hospital.

The 17-year-old boy was found lying injured in New Bedford Road near Telford Way at around 1.20am on Thursday.

Police first thought he had been hurt in a hit-and-run crash because of the serious nature of his injuries, but said it was also possible he had been attacked.

Two people have been arrested - a 40-year-old man on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and a 35-year-old woman on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

Both have since been bailed with conditions while the police investigation continues. Police said the teenager was with others in the Crawley Road car park a short time before he was found injured.One of this group was then seen outside Dominos Pizza in the Crystal House complex of shops, while the victim and others went under the nearby bridge towards Luton railway station.

Det Ch Insp Nick Gardner said: “We are making significant progress into establishing the circumstances of this incident and made two arrests whilst we follow several other lines of inquiry. “Although the circumstances initially suggested a car incident – due to the level of injuries sustained by the victim – we cannot rule out that this teenager was harmed intentionally by someone else.“We are still appealing for information so are urging anyone who may have been driving on Telford Way, parked in Crawley Road, or have any other information or context which can help us, to please get in touch as soon as possible.“The investigation team are also keen to trace a blue BMW vehicle that was seen in the area at the time of the incident. If you become aware of a blue BMW parked in your area that you do not recognise, then we would like to hear from you.”Anyone with any information is asked to contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or through crimestoppers-uk.org.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know