A teenager has been charged over a ‘bomb hoax’ that prompted the evacuation of the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Friday during a gig by comedian Peter Kay.
Omar Majed, 19, has been charged with false communications relating to a bomb hoax, West Midlands Police has confirmed.
Majed, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, was arrested on the scene and has been remanded to appear before magistrates in Birmingham on May 4.
Mr Kay was ‘bundled off stage’ abruptly after 45 minutes into the performance, with the audience told to leave the venue.
On Friday there were reports that a ‘suspicious’ bag had been found in the vicinity of the 15,800-capacity venue.
Police confirmed on Saturday no suspicious items were recovered after a search of the site.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said on Saturday night: ‘A man has been charged in connection with the events which led to the evacuation of the Utilita Arena in Birmingham last night.
‘Omar Majed, 19 has been charged with false communications relating to a bomb hoax.
Police were outside the arena on Friday as a search was carried out, following the discovery of a ‘potentially suspicious bag’
The comedian was only 45 minutes into the performance, part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour, when he was bundled off stage
The crowd evacuating at Peter Kay’s show Friday in Birmingham’s Utilita Arena
‘Majed, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, has been remanded to appear before magistrates in Birmingham on 4 May.
‘An evacuation of the arena was ordered yesterday evening after a report of a suspicious bag being left in the area.
‘Following searches, nothing suspicious was found and we are grateful to everyone for their co-operation and understanding.
‘As always our priority is the safety of the public.’
Mr Kay was performing at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham as part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour.
Shortly after the 8pm show began, the crowd was abruptly asked to leave with the comedian taken off stage.
Steve Aspinall, from Bideford, Devon, went to the gig with his wife and said he initially believed the evacuation was ‘part of the show at first’.
‘Two guys came on, one with a mic and headphones, one guy whispered to Peter Kay, and then he and Peter Kay shot off down the side,’ he said.
Police vans were parked outside the arena on Friday as a search was carried out, following the discovery of a ‘suspicious bag’
An announcer took to the stage after 8pm to ask everyone in the audience to leave due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’
He said the audience was told to look for security guards and listen out for any announcements.
‘To be honest, I thought it was part of the show at first,’ he added. ‘It was a strange atmosphere, eerie, just confused really (about) what was happening.
‘But it was alright and everyone was calm and left quite quickly with no panic.’
Emily Wilson, 34, explained she and her mother, Rayner Wilson, 69, were left with ‘anxiety, panic and tears’ after being evacuated out of the arena tonight.
‘I was at the Peter Kay event tonight in Birmingham with my mother,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘We were watching the show for about 40 minutes, everyone was laughing and suddenly Peter gets escorted off stage and a stage hand comes on to tell us to evacuate the premises immediately and to follow orders from the arena staff.
‘Everyone fell quiet and confused. My mother, a retired police officer, was immediately scanning and looking for an exit point. Unfortunately, we were at the top, so we knew it would take a while to leave.
She continued: ‘As we got out, I immediately started to panic when I saw road closures outside the arena steps and emergency vehicles.
Police sniffer dogs arrived at the scene too as the search of the arena continued after crowds were evacuated
Outside, roads were reportedly gridlocked as police assisted with a search inside the arena
The household name had been performing on Friday night as part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour
‘I then heard an emergency worker say bomb scare at that point my mother and I looked for a road where there were no large crowds, and I started running.
‘After five minutes, when we got to what felt like a safer area, even though we could hear sirens and see a lot of emergency vehicles, I burst into tears and felt very sick, my heart racing.
‘We decided not to get the train from New Street but waiting for a taxi to take us to Birmingham international where we left our car to return home to Stratford upon Avon.’
She added: ‘An evening we so looked forward to. With tickets raising money to cancer. A charity close to our hearts. Instead, an evening supposed to be full of laughter was filled with anxiety, panic and tears.’
Photos at the scene show police vehicles parked outside the arena and crowds of people gathered outside.
A video shared to social media showed the moment an announcer went on stage and asked people to leave.
The man said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, due to unforeseen circumstances, we are going to have to stop the show.
‘So, we’re going to put the house lights up, and can you please follow the instructions given to you from the house staff, stewards and security. Thank you.’
A photo taken by a member of the audience of a packed crowd before the show began on Friday night
Police units lined up outside the arena in Birmingham
Members of the audience can then be heard saying: ‘What? Is this a joke?’, in the confusion that follows.
Richard Warner, who was in the audience with his wife Jo, who uses a wheelchair, said: ‘We were at the Peter Kay gig tonight. My wife Jo, is wheelchair bound, so we sat in the disabled area.
‘Just before the show started, a member of staff came over to us. She informed my wife where the toilets were and if she needed any help with anything etc.
‘She also said that when you think the show has finished, stay where you are, because it’s not the end of the performance. So when everything stopped, the audience thought it was a stunt. I genuinely thought it was.
‘It became apparent that they were evacuating the building. I still thought it was a stunt. We decided to leave, the staff only knew the basics. Thousands leaving not in panic but some apprehension.
‘To compound the issue, my wife’s worry, we did not know what exits had steps and what didn’t. We eventually found the lifts we came up, so took them to the lower level and walked away.
‘It wasn’t until we arrive back at our hotel did people talk about what had happened, what they had seen in the press. I’m still confused as to what happened.’
The Birmingham arena is one of the UK’s largest indoor arenas and has a capacity of 15,800 spectators.
