Gang violence has erupted in Middlesbrough this evening, with footage showing cars set on fire in a field as balloons were released at a memorial event thought to be for Michael Robert Cahill, 23, who died in the A66 crash.
Police are responding to multiple incidents across Teesside tonight as violence and criminal activity intensifies in the area, linked to criminal gangs. The town is gripped by fear over a gangland turf war that has taken nine lives in five days, following the deaths of seven people, including two police officers, in a crash on the A66 at the weekend.
Memorial marred by arson
Video footage circulated online shows several cars ablaze in a field as balloons are released at a memorial service, believed to be for Michael Robert Cahill. Officers have been spotted attending numerous incidents throughout the area after 200 police, including armed response teams, were drafted in from other regions to assist Cleveland Police.
Footage shared on social media shows rows of cars on fire, with the incident occurring as the community gathered to remember Cahill.
Two arrested after fatal house fire
It comes after two men were arrested on suspicion of murder after two people died in a house fire, including a child, police confirmed. The blaze in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough, broke out just before 05:30 BST and left a 48-year-old woman in hospital in a critical condition, alongside a further three people who suffered non-life-threatening injuries.
Cleveland Police said the two victims were yet to be formally identified.
