Nine people have died in five days in Middlesbrough amid escalating violence linked to criminal gangs, prompting more than 200 extra police officers to be deployed to support Cleveland Police.
The wave of violence followed a fatal crash on the A66 on Saturday, in which a Volkswagen Passat that had been evading police and travelling the wrong way down the road crashed into a police car, killing two officers and the five men in the Volkswagen. Police said 17 people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.
House fire and stabbing
On Wednesday, Valentina Foster, 7, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, were killed in a house fire in Grangetown. Two men have since been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police said investigators were “keeping an open mind” about the cause of the blaze and did not “rule out any links to wider organised crime”.
On Thursday morning in South Bank, Middlesbrough, a house was rammed by a “jeep-type car” according to a neighbour. The vehicle kept driving into the front wall of the home until it was “smashed down”, the neighbour said.
Later on Thursday, a 39-year-old man was stabbed on the Bankfields estate in Eston, only two miles from the scene of the fatal crash. Armed police were dispatched to the scene where the front door of a house had been smashed. The victim is currently in hospital receiving treatment.
Police response and political reaction
Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, said more than 200 extra police officers have been, or will be, deployed from around the country to support Cleveland Police. Officers from neighbouring forces, including Northumbria Police, Durham Constabulary and Humberside Police, have been called in, as well as officers from the National Crime Agency.
Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, told Times Radio on Thursday: “People are saying that they are going to their shops and not feeling safe to do so and feeling trapped in their own homes. That is just unacceptable. This is terrorism and we’ve got to have an appropriate response to deal with the people who are causing such mayhem in our communities and to allow people to lead their peaceful lives.”
Anna Turley, MP for Redcar, said in a post on Facebook: “I know how worried people are, and understandably people want to know what is being done. There is a significant response under way, with additional officers and resources being brought into our area and agencies working together around the clock.” She added: “People have a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. That is our absolute priority.”
Memorial events and community concerns
Footage shared online shows a number of cars 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. At least five vehicles were reportedly set alight at the event in a field near Haswell, County Durham.
Michael’s mum urged friends to bring “bikes, jeeps, cars and quads” to a balloon release in a field in Peterlee, County Durham, on Thursday evening. The message was posted on social media as she announced a reported “change of plans” for the tribute.
Around 100 people gathered on Wednesday night to pay tribute to Makai, Theo and Cole, with some of those attending seen setting off flares. A separate vigil was held for Jacob Matusiak on Monday, where orange balloons were released into the sky as crowds cheered. People wearing face coverings were also pictured setting off coloured flares, filling the sky with thick orange, red and blue smoke.
Residents told of their concerns after two more incidents in the same area on Thursday. A vehicle crashed into a wall outside a house in Steele Crescent, South Bank, minutes away from the other two scenes in the early hours and at about midday a 39-year-old was stabbed in nearby Sedgemoor Road, Eston. A man who lives near the scene of the stabbing said people in the area were “trying to keep our heads down”. Referring to the postcode which covers Eston and Grangetown and South Bank, among other areas, he said: “TS6 has gone mad, it’s brutal. We are just trying to keep our heads down.”
