Driver Sentenced to Over 11 Years for Deliberate SUV Attack on Club Crowd
A drink and drug-fuelled driver who used his Mercedes SUV as a weapon to plough into a crowd outside a Birmingham nightclub, leaving a popular international DJ with catastrophic injuries, has been jailed for 11 years and six months. Mohammed Suffi, 23, carried out the revenge attack following a Freshers Week student event at The Tunnel Club on October 3, 2024.
Horrific Hit-and-Run Captured on CCTV
The court heard that Suffi was captured on CCTV driving his SUV into revellers during the horror hit-and-run outside The Tunnel Club, located near Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter. He had been "egged on" by a friend when he deliberately targeted the crowd after being involved in an earlier fight inside the venue.
Six people were injured in the attack, with DJ Caliston Calistus suffering the most severe injuries. Footage showed the 28-year-old being dragged under the car as Suffi went on his rampage. The victim sustained:
- Fractured ribs and pelvis
- Broken collar bone and shoulder blades
- Broken neck
- Collapsed lungs
Revenge Attack Shatters DJ's Career
The court was told that the attack left Calistus's dream job as a globe-trotting DJ shattered. In a victim statement, he described hearing the "cracking" of his bones as the Mercedes went over him, believing he was going to die during the incident.
"I was the victim of a serious incident which changed my life," Calistus said. "I am left in constant pain, have reduced mobility, visible scars and psychological trauma. What I did was not just my job - it was my dream, my purpose since I was 16."
The DJ required major surgery and spent three weeks in hospital recovering from his injuries. He has since been forced to abandon his international DJ career for a conventional office job.
Sentencing and Co-Defendants
At Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Paul Farrer KC sentenced Suffi to 11 years and six months imprisonment and banned him from driving for 10 years and seven months. The judge stated that Suffi had "used his powerful vehicle as a weapon" and was "intent on causing mayhem and injury."
Three other men involved in the incident received suspended sentences:
- Daanyal Hussain, 21, of Yardley, Birmingham
- Mustafa Gohari, 21, of Acocks Green, Birmingham
- Armaan Abid, 23, of Handsworth, Birmingham
All three had previously admitted affray and were sentenced to 11 months in jail, suspended for 18 months, with 180 hours of unpaid work ordered.
Events Leading to the Attack
The court heard that tensions began inside the club when Abid did something to a woman that led to a confrontation with her boyfriend. Security staff ejected the group at approximately 2:20am, but they remained outside waiting for the club to close.
Judge Farrer noted that the defendants "could have chosen to leave but instead remained outside the club waiting for it to close and for people to leave." He added that he had "no doubt you were intent on violence against the unknown man you had a quarrel with inside the club."
After being outnumbered in a subsequent fight, the defendants retreated to Suffi's Mercedes. The judge stated that "having lost the fight you felt humiliated and as a consequence Suffi lost his temper and drove his Mercedes at some speed at people who had left the club."
Drug Use and Attempted Escape
The court was told that before entering the club, Suffi and Gohari had been captured on security cameras sniffing nitrous oxide from a balloon. Following the attack, Suffi attempted to dispose of the vehicle before fleeing the UK to Dubai.
Daniel Oscroft, prosecuting, said the defendants were "intent on taking revenge for some perceived slight or grievance." He described how Suffi "started to drive aggressively" with the vehicle reversing, circling back, and driving at pedestrians, knocking people over.
Abbas Lakha, defending Suffi, said his client "accepted full responsibility for the harm he caused" and was "utterly and genuinely remorseful." He claimed the incident happened in a "split second" of panic and confusion.
Gulam Ahmed, defending Gohari - a first-year civil engineering student - said his client "was also run over by the Mercedes" and that alcohol and nitrous oxide "clearly affected his judgement."
