The mother of one of the A66 crash victims had her home rammed by gangland rivals just minutes before the fatal collision near Middlesbrough, it has been reported. The woman's silver Audi was shunted from the driveway into the front of the property in the early hours of Saturday, August 22.
The attack on 17-year-old Theo Rae's family is believed to have acted as a catalyst for the events that followed, resulting in the deaths of PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. The officers were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, travelling the wrong way along the dual carriageway, collided head-on with their marked Cleveland Police armed response vehicle.
Five men died alongside the officers
Rae was travelling in the Volkswagen alongside Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17. They were all pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
As reported by The Scottish Sun, pictures show the damage caused at Rae's mother's house shortly before the collision. Her car can be seen crumpled outside the boarded home, with a blue tarpaulin covering the damage to the building.
Gang feud believed to be behind the attack
Following the attack, Rae reportedly took to the streets of Middlesbrough in the Volkswagen Passat to find the rival gang responsible before being involved in the fatal crash. His gran's home is also believed to have been rammed, along with a property owned by the dad of Cole Worthy.
The group were spotted roaming the city in the Volkswagen Passat before police officers gave chase. The pursuit lasted around seven minutes before they entered the A66 on the wrong side of the road and crashed into the police vehicle at around 3.30am.
A source said: "Cole’s dad’s home was rammed first, but it was empty at the time. No one gave a s**t about it. But they were furious that Theo’s house was rammed and his nan’s."
"There was a large police presence at the property but by then Theo and the others were already in the Passat looking for the gang responsible. This is the reason it all exploded."
Arrests and charges following the crash
The source added that homes in Middlesbrough have been targeted for months amid the feud between gangs in the city. They are reportedly involved in a tit-for-tat campaign over "drugs and money".
Police have since arrested and charged a number of people in connection with the crash on the A66. Kai Beattie, 19, of Foxrush Court, Redcar, has been charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Cameron George, 26, of Micklow Close, Redcar, has been charged with possession of class A drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property, and is remanded in police custody. Kai Inico, 21, of Alverton Green in Middlesbrough, has been charged with possession with intent to supply a class B drug and was released on conditional bail.
A number of other arrests have been made, including a 24-year-old man arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and possession of an offensive weapon, and a 19-year-old man arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, both released on conditional bail. A 30-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and released on conditional bail, and a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and possession of an offensive weapon, also released on conditional bail.
A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage, and has been remanded on recall to prison. A 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of threats to cause criminal damage and public order. A 61-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm without a certificate and released on conditional bail.
A 47-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm without a certificate, possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs and possession of class C drugs, and released on conditional bail. An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm without a certificate, possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs and possession of class C drugs, and released on unconditional bail. A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm without a certificate, possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs and possession of class C drugs, and released on conditional bail.
A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs and possession of criminal property. A 39-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and released on conditional bail. A 16-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and released on conditional bail. An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and released on conditional bail. A 21-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and possession with intent to supply a class B drug and released on conditional bail. A 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender and released on conditional bail. A 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill and released on conditional bail.
