Arrests after fatal A66 crash as organised crime links uncovered
Twelve people have been arrested as police investigating the criminality which preceded the A66 crash that killed two officers and five young men warn of “significant links” to serious and organised crime.
Cleveland Police said nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, had been arrested across Teesside as part of a wide-ranging investigation into the events leading up to Saturday’s fatal collision.
The arrests follow reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously in the Middlesbrough area on the morning of August 22.
One, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was reported to have been used to ram properties, while a Volkswagen Passat was believed to have been associated with the same activity. Both vehicles were fitted with cloned number plates but were detected by the force’s automatic number plate recognition system. The Volvo has since been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough.
Police forces from Durham, Northumbria and North Yorkshire have assisted Cleveland detectives with the investigation.
The 12 arrests involve offences including possession of firearms, possession of offensive weapons, drugs offences, criminal damage, threats to kill and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
One 26-year-old man from Redcar has been charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs and possession of criminal property. A number of those arrested remain in custody, while others have been released on bail or without bail.
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox, who is leading the investigation, said it was a “fast-moving and complex investigation” with “significant links to serious and organised criminal activity”.
He said police had a duty to investigate the criminal activity which resulted in the fatal incident and bring those responsible to justice.
The investigation follows the deaths of PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, whose marked armed response vehicle was struck by the Passat as it travelled the wrong way along the A66.
The five young men travelling in the Passat – Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, and Jacob Matusiak, 23 – also died. Cleveland Police said four of the five young men had previous convictions.
The force has stressed that there is currently no evidence that the activities which took place on Friday night and Saturday morning were filmed for TikTok.
The investigation is continuing, with Cleveland Police warning that its response to the serious criminality uncovered during the inquiry will continue “in the weeks and months to come”.