A66 crash: father of victim had home rammed before fatal Middlesbrough collision
Seven people died in a head-on crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough, including two police officers. Seventeen people have now been arrested in connection with organised crime links.
Father's home rammed hours before son died in A66 crash
The semi-detached house rammed by a car in the early hours of Saturday morning belonged to the father of Cole Worthy, one of five young men who died in a fatal head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough, the BBC has reported. Daily Express also covered the crash and its aftermath, as a wide-ranging criminal investigation continues to unfold across the Cleveland area.
Worthy, 17, was among five men travelling the wrong way along the cross-country route in a Volkswagen Passat when it struck a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle. Also killed in the crash were Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and Theo Rae, 17. All five were pronounced dead at the scene at South Bank.
PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, who were travelling in the correct direction at the time, also died. Seven people in total lost their lives.
Cloned plates and organised crime links
Cleveland Police said that on the morning of the crash, it had received several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously in the area. The first, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was witnessed ramming properties in Middlesbrough. The second was the VW Passat, which the force described as "believed to have been associated with the activities of the Volvo XC60".
"Both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates to avoid detection but were picked up by the Force's automated number plate recognition technology," Cleveland Police said.
Worthy's father's home in Acklam was among the properties struck by the Volvo, leaving it significantly damaged. Worthy and the four other young men set off in the Passat a short time after that incident. Cleveland Police said there is no suggestion that Cole's father was involved in any illegal activity.
The force had previously noted that four of the Passat's occupants had previous police convictions, and that they may have had links to "serious and organised criminal activity". Early reports had also described the men as 'TikTok joyriders', after one of them posted videos to social media appearing to show a high-speed police chase.
Pursuit ended seconds before collision
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said police had been searching for the Passat in the lead-up to the crash, with another police vehicle launching a pursuit of the car. PC Blades and PC Clough had been called to the area to assist with that search, but were not involved in the pursuit itself. The collision occurred approximately 10 seconds after the pursuit ended, the watchdog said.
The Volvo XC60 linked to the initial property rammings has since been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough as part of the criminal investigation.
17 arrests as investigation widens
On Tuesday, Cleveland Police announced five further arrests, made with the assistance of the National Crime Agency and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit. That brings the total number of arrests to 17.
The five new arrests included a 16-year-old boy, an 18-year-old, and a 21-year-old man, all on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group; a 55-year-old on suspicion of assisting an offender; and a 23-year-old on suspicion of making threats to kill.
Two of the 12 people previously arrested have appeared in court, according to PA reports. Kai Beattie, 19, of Foxrush Court, Redcar, appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Cameron George, 26, of Micklow Close, Redcar, was remanded in custody to appear at Teesside Crown Court on 21 September, charged with drugs offences and possession of criminal property.
'Lasting impact on the Cleveland area'
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox, who is leading the strategic direction of the investigation, described it as "fast moving and complex", with "significant links to serious and organised criminal activity".
"The events of that tragic night will have a lasting and profound impact on the Cleveland area and the communities we seek to protect," Fox said. "We have a duty to respond to, and thoroughly investigate, the serious criminal activity that resulted in this fatal incident, and to bring all those responsible to justice."
Fox added that officers across Cleveland had "shown incredible resilience" in continuing their work following the deaths of two colleagues. "Two of their colleagues lost their lives while serving the people of Cleveland and, while the impact will be felt by our people for a long time to come, they have continued to act with the upmost professionalism," he said.
Inquests were due to open on Thursday for the two police officers, with separate hearings at Teesside Magistrates' Court also scheduled for the five young men who died in the Passat.
Source: Daily Express