The father of one of the young men killed in the A66 crash had his house rammed by a car in the lead-up to the fatal collision, according to reports.
Cole Worthy, 17, was among five men travelling the wrong way down the cross-country route in a Volkswagen Passat in the early hours of Saturday morning when it struck a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle near Middlesbrough.
Worthy, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and Theo Rae, 17, were all pronounced dead at the scene at South Bank. PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, who were travelling in the correct direction on the road at the time, also died.
House rammed before crash
The BBC reports that Worthy's father's semi-detached house in Acklam was rammed early that morning, leaving it significantly damaged. Worthy and the four other young men who died set off in a VW Passat a short time after that, the outlet reports. There is no suggestion that Cole's father was involved in any illegal activity.
Cleveland Police said on the morning of the crash, it had received several reports of two vehicles, including the Passat, being driven dangerously. "The first vehicle, which is believed to be a Volvo XC60, was witnessed to be ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area," the force said.
The second vehicle it identified was a VW Passat, which was "believed to have been associated with the activities of the Volvo XC60", it added. "Both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates to avoid detection but were picked up by the Force's automated number plate recognition technology," Cleveland Police said.
Investigation and arrests
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said police had been looking for the Passat the five young men were in in the lead-up to the crash, with another police vehicle launching a pursuit of the car. PC Blades and PC Clough had been called to the area to assist with the search, but weren't involved in the pursuit. The crash occurred approximately 10 seconds after the pursuit ended, the watchdog said.
Police said the Volvo XC60 involved in the initial reports has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough as part of the criminal investigation. The force previously said the occupants of the Passat, four of whom had previous police convictions, may have had links to "serious and organised criminal activity".
On Tuesday, Cleveland Police announced that five more people had been arrested with the assistance of the National Crime Agency and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit, following investigations into events surrounding the crash. It brings the total number of arrests to 17.
The force said the five fresh arrests included a 16-year-old boy, an 18-year-old and a man of 21, all on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group; a 55-year-old on suspicion of assisting an offender; and a 23-year-old on suspicion of making threats to kill.
Court appearances and tributes
Cleveland Police said two of the 12 people previously arrested have now appeared in court, PA reports. Kai Beattie, 19, of Foxrush Court, Redcar, appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, according to the force. Cameron George, 26, of Micklow Close, Redcar, was remanded in custody to appear at Teesside Crown Court on September 21 charged with drugs offences and possession of criminal property, it said.
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."
Inquests were due to open on Thursday morning for the two officers with hearings at Teesside Magistrates' Court also set to take place for the young men in the Passat.
