Three more arrested in Middlesbrough organised crime probe after A66 crash

Cleveland Police have made three further arrests linked to an ongoing organised crime operation following the A66 crash that killed two officers and five youths.

Three more arrested in Middlesbrough organised crime probe after A66 crash

Cleveland Police have made three further arrests as part of a broad operation targeting organised crime in the Middlesbrough area, Google News UK — Crime (en) reports, bringing the total number of people detained since the fatal A66 crash on 22 August to 27.

Two men, aged 19 and 24, were arrested on Sunday night after one vehicle rammed another on Derwentwater Road, between Grangetown and Eston near Middlesbrough, at around 23:00 BST. The pair are being questioned on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

A third man, aged 18, was arrested in connection with a separate suspected motoring offence in the town. He has since been charged with dangerous driving and appeared at Teesside Magistrates' Court on Monday, where he was remanded in custody.

The arrests come in the wake of the crash on the A66 in which PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, were killed. Their marked armed response vehicle was struck head-on by a Volkswagen Passat that other officers had been pursuing until seconds before the collision. The five occupants of the Passat — all male and aged between 17 and 23 — also died at the scene.

Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox said the latest arrests "would not be the last" as Cleveland Police continued to target criminal activity connected to the crash and its wider context.

Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)