Five more people have been arrested as part of an investigation into the wrong-way crash which left two police officers and five young men dead. Cleveland Police said officers are 'continuing to disrupt those suspected of being involved in serious and organised crime' as the total number of arrests over the A66 crash rose to 17.
Victims and arrests
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway near Middlesbrough and hit their marked armed response vehicle. A GoFundMe appeal has raised nearly £850,000 for the policemen's families.
The five people travelling in the Volkswagen, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak, died at the scene at South Bank, early on Saturday. Four of those killed in the VW had previous convictions, police said yesterday.
The five people arrested today include a 16-year-old boy and two men aged 18 and 21 on suspicion of taking part in an organised crime group. The other two are a 55-year-old man on suspicion of assisting an offender and a 23-year-old man on suspicion of making threats to kill. Previously, nine men and three women – aged 19 to 61 – were suspected of offences ranging from possessing a gun to organised crime.
Investigation and response
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox, responsible for the strategic leadership of the investigation, said this afternoon: '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.'
The tragedy came less than a week after five teenagers were killed in a head-on collision as their car sped up the wrong side of the M9 motorway in Kildare, Ireland. That crash has been blamed on 'dangerous acts' being done 'for likes on social media'.
Social media concerns
The Police Federation of England and Wales said today that young people are 'baiting police officers' with dangerous driving. Acting deputy national chairman Paul Williams told BBC Breakfast: 'Every day we can identify now numerous examples of young people sensationalising dangerous driving.
'Not just dangerous driving, but baiting police officers who are out there to protect the public.
'It's a real problem. It's causing officers concern.
'They shouldn't have to be going out and worrying about whether they're going to return home from their shift or not. But on top of that, wondering if they're going to be plastered all over social media.
'It's absolutely unacceptable and social media platforms need to take some action.'
TikTok in particular has been accused of encouraging illegal driving by promoting high-speed police chase videos as 'thrilling' or 'exciting'. Makai Saddington's TikTok feed featured videos of him seemingly in police chases. In one clip from May, set to rap music, he drives an Audi through an estate with blue flashing lights behind.
TikTok crazes include some drivers baiting police cars into chases, others filming their speedometers, inhaling nitrous oxide – known as Nos – at the wheel, or speeding with headlights off. Prime minister Andy Burnham said sharing such footage was 'truly reprehensible'. A No.10 spokesman insisted industry watchdog Ofcom had the government's 'full backing to take tough action' against platforms that fail to uphold the law. Police said there is no evidence that Saturday's chase was put on TikTok.
