Two arrested after vehicle ramming in Middlesbrough as total arrests reach 27

Cleveland Police have arrested two men on firearms suspicion following a vehicle ramming in Middlesbrough, bringing total arrests to 27 since the A66 crash that killed seven.

Two more arrested in Middlesbrough as organised crime crackdown intensifies

Cleveland Police have made two further arrests after a vehicle was rammed on Derwentwater Road in Middlesbrough at around 11pm on Sunday, the Daily Express reports. The arrests bring the total number of people detained since the A66 collision on 22 August 2026 to 27.

A man aged 19 and a man aged 24 were arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. The 24-year-old was detained in Burns Road approximately half an hour after the ramming, while the 19-year-old was arrested at a nearby property during checks in the area. Both men remained in custody on Monday.

Separately, an 18-year-old appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court on Monday charged with dangerous driving, after a car was seen being driven dangerously in the town on Saturday afternoon. He was remanded in custody.

Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox said Cleveland Police would not stop pursuing those involved in serious and organised crime. "Our commitment to tackling criminal gangs whose intent is to harm people in our communities is, and will continue to be, a persistent focus for us," Fox said. He added that the public should expect further arrests and thanked residents for their information and patience.

Around 200 officers from outside Cleveland Police have been drafted in to assist with the investigation.

The latest arrests come eight days after a head-on collision on the A66 in which two police officers and five young men were killed. Pc Tom Clough, 38, and Pc Matthew Blades, 37, died when their marked response vehicle was struck by a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way along the dual carriageway. The five men in the Passat — Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Cahill, 23, and Jakub Matusiak, 23 — also died in the collision.

On the Wednesday following the crash, seven-year-old Valentina Foster and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, were killed in a house fire in Birchington Avenue, Grangetown. A murder investigation was launched. Police have since ruled out any link between the fire and their wider organised crime inquiries.

Source: Daily Express