Cleveland Police have arrested seven more men as part of an operation tackling alleged organised crime in the wake of the A66 crash, bringing the total number of arrests to 24. In a separate update, detectives have confirmed they are not linking the Grangetown house fire, which killed a seven-year-old girl and her aunt, to the crash on the A66 last weekend, which left seven people dead, including two police officers.
Arrests and investigations
Officers said four men, aged 35, 25, 40 and 21, were being held on suspicion of criminal damage with intent to endanger life after a vehicle crashed into a house in Steele Crescent, Middlesbrough. They were also being questioned over alleged arson after a caravan was set alight in Atlee Road on Wednesday morning, and a drugs offence.
The three other men arrested were a 23-year-old man, on suspicion of threats to kill, a 42-year-old on suspicion of threats to kill and possession of criminal property, and a 30-year-old on suspicion of possession of criminal property. All three have been released on conditional bail.
House fire update
Two people remain in hospital after the house fire at Birchington Avenue in Grangetown, which officers were called to at 5.23am on August 26. Natalie McDonald, 34, and her niece Valentina Foster both died while four others were injured.
A 48-year-old woman remains in the Royal Victoria Infirmary in a “critical but stable” condition and a 27-year-old man is still at James Cook University hospital receiving treatment. Two teenage girls have both been discharged after suffering non-life threatening injuries. Two men aged 23 and 31 remain in police custody on suspicion of murder in relation to the blaze.
Police response and community impact
Assistant Chief Constable Dave Sutherland, head of local policing at Cleveland Police, said: “Since the tragic incident last Saturday morning in which seven people, including two of our serving police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, sadly lost their lives, officers and staff have remained working around the clock to continue to serve the public of Cleveland.”
He added: “At this time, we are not linking this incident to the fatal collision on the A66. Our thoughts remain with all those affected by these incidents as we continue our investigations into what happened.” More than 200 additional officers have been deployed to support Cleveland Police, including personnel from neighbouring forces and the National Crime Agency.
