Cleveland Police have confirmed five more arrests in connection with the devastating A66 crash that killed two police officers and five other people, bringing the total number of arrests to 17.
In an update today, the force said it had arrested five more people with the assistance of the National Crime Agency and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit. Those arrested are a 16-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man and a 21-year-old man, all on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group; a 55-year-old man on suspicion of assisting an offender; and a 23-year-old man on suspicion of making threats to kill.
Court appearances for two previously arrested
Two of the 12 people previously arrested have now appeared in court. 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.
Police previously said the five young men in the Passat which crashed head-on with a police car near Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”. Four of the five had previous criminal convictions and were believed to be associated with another car seen ramming properties earlier that morning.
Officers and victims named
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when the Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven the wrong way along the dual carriageway and hit their marked armed response vehicle. The five people in the Passat—Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak—were pronounced dead at the scene at South Bank early on Saturday.
Inquests were due to open on Thursday morning for the two officers, with a hearing for the young men in the Passat scheduled for the afternoon.
Investigation details and fundraising
Cleveland Police said that on the morning of the collision it received several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously. The first, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was witnessed ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area. The second, a Volkswagen Passat, is believed to have been associated with the activities of the Volvo. Both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates but were picked up by automated number plate recognition technology. The Volvo XC60 has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough. Police said there was no evidence that filming of the activities was “for the purposes of TikTok”.
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.” He added: “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.”
More than £750,000 has been raised for the families of the two officers. A fundraiser created by the Cleveland Police Federation said funds would be split equally between the two families, and the federation would continue to provide support.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said Cleveland Police launched the chase after receiving intelligence relating to “numerous incidents” linked to a Passat, which activated an ANPR camera and is believed to have been using cloned plates. PC Blades and PC Clough were not involved in the original pursuit but had been called to assist with the search for the Passat. Family members described former Civil Nuclear Constabulary officer PC Clough as “our hero” who was “always on public duty”. PC Blades’ wife called him “my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys”.
Tributes for the five young men were also shared on social media, with friends saying they “can’t believe it” and were “heartbroken” and “lost for words”. Balloon releases have been announced in their memory at different locations.
