The fatal A66 crash that killed seven people reportedly followed a “fall out” between two teenage rival gang members. Police have now arrested 24 people in connection with the incident.
PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, died when a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way down a dual carriageway collided with their marked police vehicle. Cole Worthy and Theo Rae, both 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak, both 23, all died at the scene in the Passat.
Arrests and police response
Since the incident, a total of 24 people have been arrested and hundreds of additional officers have been deployed to support colleagues following a series of recent incidents in the Middlesbrough and County Durham area.
Cleveland Police Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox said: “This latest disruptive activity now brings the total number of arrests to 24 since the investigation commenced.”
“Several suspects arrested throughout the course of this week have been charged with serious offences and a number of offenders have been recalled to prison. This robust approach demonstrates our commitment and determination to pursue those who we believe are intent on causing serious violence and harm to our communities.”
“Be assured, our relentless pursuit of suspected organised criminals will not waver. I want to encourage anyone who believes serious violence and organised crime is taking place in their neighbourhood to report it so we can keep on taking action.”
Reported feud and revenge mission
The home of the father of Cole Worthy – one of the people who died in the Passat – in Acklam, Middlesbrough, was ram-raided by a Volvo XC60 at 3am last Saturday, just 40 minutes before the A66 crash. There is nothing to suggest he was involved in any criminal activity potentially linked to his son.
But Cole Worthy is thought to have set off on a revenge mission to track down the Volvo XC60, believing a gang rival was involved in the attack on his dad’s home, the Mirror reports. A graffiti message ‘RIP CW’ was scrawled on shops in Trimdon Avenue near to where Mr Worthy grew up, with an abusive message to police.
“Two worlds collided on that road,” a former Cleveland Police detective told the Mirror. “The officers were two of the most decent men you could ever wish to meet.” This claimed feud set off a catastrophic chain of events that led to the A66 tragedy.
The deaths of seven-year-old Valentina Foster, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, in a house fire in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, were investigated by police to rule in, or out, any links with wider organised crime. Police have since ruled that they were not linked.
Organised crime links
It is understood Mr Cahill, one of the five who died in the Passat, had links to a notorious organised crime group based in the North East. A member of that group attended the vigil held on the outskirts of Haswell, County Durham on Thursday night for Mr Cahill, 18 miles from the A66 tragedy scene.
Five cars, including what was believed to be a stolen £80,000 Porsche Cayenne, were burned out on a farmer’s field before being removed. One source told the Mirror: “They are a serious organised crime gang who have been operational in the region for many years. They are major players in drug supply and serious criminal activity.”
Another source added: “They use youths as their foot soldiers as they know those teenagers won't be police informants. Their youth gives organised groups that protection.”
The five who died in the Passat were said to be involved in a drug turf war in Grangetown. Cleveland Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox described their probe into the events as “a fast moving and complex investigation, with significant links to serious and organised criminal activity.”
He added: “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.”
The total number of suspects arrested since the crash now stands at 24.
