A MAN walking along a pavement with a friend was badly hurt when a car that had gone past returned and was allegedly driven straight at them.
The 30-year-old Polish man involved in the incident was at the northern junction of Rugby Avenue and Oldfield Lane North at 1.30am on Monday, February 28.
The unnamed man suffered head injuries and is in a critical but stable condition in hospital after the black Vauxhall Corsa is reported to have sped on to the kerb and hit him so hard that he flew over the bonnet.
The Homicide and Serious Crime Command are investigating.
Detective Inspector Andy Chalmers said: "A racially motivated attack is one line of enquiry. The car went past our victim then turned around and came back. We are confident it was not an accident.
"It's very shocking. I am keen to find out if anyone had seen any car acting suspiciously in the area. It seems very odd to drive over someone you've just driven past.
"It mounted the pavement with all four wheels, so it must have been in control. There is nothing to indicate the victim did anything to provoke a violent response."
The man was walking to the shop with a male friend, 33, when the car drove past and the driver shouted something out of the window.
According to the police report, it then turned around, hit the victim on the narrow pavement and sped off towards Greenford station. His companion managed to jump out of the way and was not injured.
Police believe the car, which was later found abandoned in Birkbeck Way, was driven by a man with a female passenger.
Markando Kanadasan, the owner of Greenford Supermarket, in nearby Greenford Road, said: "The road was closed until about 10am. Nobody was allowed to walk down there. Some people said it was a murder. The road hasn't been closed before, so I knew it was serious."
Police made house calls in their search for witnesses. Anyone with information should call the incident room on 020 8358 0200 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
