Twelve people have been arrested in connection with the A66 crash that killed seven people, including two police officers, with the investigation linked to organised crime.
Nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, have been arrested by officers investigating the events leading up to the crash, Cleveland Police said. The arrests were made across Teesside.
The force has launched a wide-scale investigation into the criminality that took place prior to the fatal collision, which claimed the lives of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.
Incident details
On the morning of Saturday 22 August, Cleveland Police received several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously. The first vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was witnessed ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area.
The second vehicle, a Volkswagen Passat, is 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.
The Volvo XC60 involved in the initial reports has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough as part of the criminal investigation.
Arrests and investigation
Throughout the weekend, Cleveland Police, supported by officers and staff from Durham, Northumbria and North Yorkshire Police, worked to establish the circumstances that led to the fatal collision. Those enquiries resulted in the arrests of 12 people.
The suspects have been arrested on suspicion of several offences, ranging from possession of a firearm to participating in the activities of an organised crime group. At the current time, there is no evidence to indicate that filming of the activities that took place on Friday night and Saturday morning was done for the purposes of TikTok.
Four of the occupants of the Passat had previous police convictions.
Police response
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox, responsible for the strategic leadership of the investigation, said: "This has been a fast moving and complex investigation, 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. 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.
"Our robust response will continue in the weeks and months to come, as we continue to tackle those that seek to cause harm to our communities and tackle serious and organised crime."
Fox added: "Officers and staff across Cleveland have shown incredible resilience in continuing their work in the face of tragedy. 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.
"I am also extremely grateful for the support we have received, and continue to receive, from the public of Cleveland and our wider police family."
