Five more arrested in A66 wrong-way crash probe, including teenager

Five additional suspects arrested in Middlesbrough A66 crash investigation, including a 16-year-old. Seven died when a Passat struck a police vehicle.

New arrests widen A66 fatal crash inquiry as links to organised crime emerge

Five more people have been arrested in connection with the fatal wrong-way crash on the A66 in Middlesbrough, Cleveland Police confirmed on Tuesday, according to Google News MT. The latest detainees include a 16-year-old boy, two men aged 18 and 21 held on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group, a 55-year-old man arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and a 23-year-old man detained on suspicion of making threats to kill.

The arrests bring to seventeen the number of people held since Monday, when nine men and three women — aged between 18 and 61 — were taken in across Teesside on a range of offences including possession of a firearm and membership of an organised crime group.

Two men have since been formally charged. Kai Beattie, of Foxrush Court, Redcar, faces a charge of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Cameron George, of Micklow Close, Redcar, has been charged with possession of class A and class B drugs with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property.

Seven killed in early-hours collision

The crash occurred at 03:39 BST on Saturday when a Volkswagen Passat travelling in the wrong direction struck a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle on the dual carriageway. Two officers, PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, were killed alongside five young men in the Passat: Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Worthy, 17.

Before the collision, police had received multiple reports of two cars driving dangerously around the town. A Volvo XC60 was observed ramming properties in the area, including a semi-detached house on a quiet residential street in Acklam — a property the BBC understands belonged to the father of Worthy. Neighbours, who declined to be named, said Worthy occasionally stayed at the address. A downstairs bay window and an upstairs bedroom window were smashed in the incident, with bricks scattered beneath the lower window. Locals reported hearing loud bangs at around 2am and said the street remained full of police throughout the weekend.

Investigators are linking the activities of the Volvo XC60 and the Passat. There is no suggestion that Worthy's father was involved in any criminal activity.

Pursuit abandoned seconds before impact

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said officers had been pursuing the Passat for almost seven minutes after it was connected to earlier alleged criminal activity. The pursuit was abandoned ten seconds before the crash, at the point the vehicle turned onto the dual carriageway.

Both the Passat and the Volvo XC60 were found to be operating with cloned number plates, though they were identified through automated number plate recognition technology.

Cleveland Police said inquiries into the full circumstances leading up to the crash remain ongoing.

Source: Google News MT