Teenager, 19, is charged over ‘bomb hoax’ at Peter Kay gig abandoned after 45 minutes

A teenager has been charged over a ‘bomb hoax’ that led to the evacuation of Birmingham’s Utilita Arena during a concert by comedian Peter Kay on Friday.

West Midlands Police have confirmed that Omar Majed, 19, has been charged with miscommunication in relation to the bomb hoax.

Majed, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, was arrested at the scene and remanded in custody to appear before a magistrate in Birmingham on May 4.

Mr Kay was suddenly ‘taken off stage’ after 45 minutes of the show and the audience was told to leave the venue.

There were reports that a ‘suspicious’ bag was found near the 15,800 capacity venue on Friday.

Police confirmed no suspicious items were found following a search of the site on Saturday.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said on Saturday night: ‘A man has been charged in connection with events that led to the evacuation of Birmingham’s Utilita Arena last night.

Omar Majed, 19, was charged with miscommunication related to the bomb hoax.

The comedian walked off stage just 45 minutes into the performance, which was part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour.

Crowds being evacuated from Peter Kay’s show at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on Friday

‘Majed’, of Washwood Heath, Birmingham, was ordered to appear before a judge in Birmingham on May 4.

‘Following the report that a suspicious bag was left in the area, the arena was ordered to be evacuated last night.

‘Following searches nothing suspicious was found and we are grateful to everyone for their cooperation and understanding.

‘As always, our priority is the safety of the public.’

Mr Kay was performing at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena as part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour.

Shortly after the start of the show at 8pm, the crowd was abruptly asked to leave as the comedian was escorted off the stage.

Steve Aspinall, from Bideford, Devon, went to the concert with his wife and said he initially believed the evacuation was ‘part of the show in the first place’.

‘Two men came, one with a microphone and headphones, one whispered to Peter Kay and then he and Peter Kay darted off to the side,’ he said.

Police vans were parked outside the arena on Friday while a search was carried out following the discovery of a ‘suspicious bag’.

An announcer took the stage after 8pm and asked everyone in the audience to leave the stage due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.

Spectators were told to call security guards and listen for announcements, he said.

‘Honestly at first I thought it was part of the show,’ he added. ‘It was a strange atmosphere, eerie, just confusion about what was really happening.

‘But it was okay and everyone was calm and quickly left without panicking.’

Emily Wilson, 34, said she and her mother Rayner Wilson, 69, were left with ‘anxiety, panic and tears’ after being evacuated from the arena tonight.

“I was at the Peter Kay event in Birmingham this evening with my mum,” she told the Daily Mail.

‘We had been watching the show for about 40 minutes, everyone was laughing and suddenly Peter came off stage and a stagehand came over and told us to evacuate the area immediately and follow orders from arena staff.

‘Everyone went quiet and confused. My mother, a retired police officer, was immediately scanning and looking for an exit point. Unfortunately we were at the top and we knew it would take some time to break away.’

He continued: ‘When we came out I immediately panicked when I saw the roads blocked and emergency vehicles outside the arena steps.

While the search efforts in the arena continued after the crowd was evacuated, police detection dogs also arrived at the scene.

Roads were reportedly blocked outside as police helped search the arena

The house name was performing as part of his ‘Better Late Than Never’ tour on Friday night

‘I then heard an emergency worker hear the sound of a bomb. At that time, my mother and I looked for a road without large crowds and started running.

‘Five minutes later, when we arrived in what appeared to be a safer area, although we could hear sirens and see numerous emergency vehicles, I burst into tears and felt very ill, my heart racing.

‘We decided not to take the train from New Street and waited for a taxi to take us to Birmingham international airport; Here we left our car and returned home to return to Stratford upon Avon.’

He added: ‘It was an evening we had been waiting for. The tickets raise money for cancer. A charity close to our hearts. ‘Instead an evening that should have been filled with laughter was filled with anxiety, panic and tears.’

Photos from the scene show police vehicles parked outside the arena and crowds gathered outside.

A video shared on social media showed the moment an announcer walked onto the stage and asked people to leave.

The man said: ‘Ladies and gentlemen, due to unforeseen circumstances we will have to stop the show.

‘So we will turn the house lights on and can you please follow the instructions given to you by the house staff, stewards and security? Thank you.’

Photo taken by someone in the large audience before the show started on Friday night

Police units lined up outside the arena in Birmingham

The audience can then be heard saying: ‘What? In the confusion that follows, is this a joke?’

Richard Warner, who was in the audience with his wife Jo, who uses a wheelchair, said: ‘We were at the Peter Kay concert this evening. Since my wife, Jo, is confined to a wheelchair, we sat in the disabled area.

‘Just before the show started, a staff member came up to us. I asked my wife where the toilets were and if she needed help with anything, etc. reported.

‘He also said to stay where you are when you think the show is over, because this is not the end of the performance. When everything stopped, the audience thought it was a show. I really thought it was.

‘It turned out that they evacuated the building. I still thought it was a show. We decided to leave, the staff only knew the basics. Thousands of people are leaving not in panic, but with some trepidation.

‘My wife’s anxiety further complicates the problem; We didn’t know which exits had steps and which didn’t. We eventually found the elevators we exited, took them downstairs and walked away.

‘When we got back to our hotel people didn’t talk about what was going on and what they saw in the press. ‘I’m still confused about what happened.’

The Birmingham arena is one of the largest indoor arenas in England and has a capacity of 15,800 spectators.