A teenager among the seven people killed in a head-on crash on the A66 had previously posted social media videos of himself taking part in high-speed police chases, it is reported.
The account is believed to be linked to one of the joyriders. He is seen in a string of clips on TikTok appearing to drive erratically through residential streets. In one clip filmed in May by a passenger, he is seen in an Audi being driven at speed through a housing estate with a police car's blue lights flashing in pursuit.
Footage shows erratic driving and balaclavas
The video, which is set to rap music, sees the vehicle veer across a grassy playing field in an apparent bid to shake off officers, the Daily Mail reports. Another video on an account associated with him also shows another vehicle - a green Nissan - being driven around at speed before it is set alight. Other footage also shows him wearing balaclavas while driving.
A photo from the account shows youths in balaclavas. Ring doorbell footage captured the moment a Passat tears down Lime Road in Teesville, Middlesbrough, at 3.36am on Saturday, reports the Sun.
Officers killed in the line of duty
The clips have emerged after two cops – PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38 – were killed in the line of duty after their vehicle collided with a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 near Middlesbrough on Saturday morning. The Passat was being driven in the wrong direction; the police car was not. The officers were among seven people killed, including all five occupants of the Passat. Police said the occupants of both cars were all declared dead at the scene.
Just three minutes before the crash, a VW Passat was spotted being driven at speed through residential roads just before police halted the chase when the vehicle turned on to the A66 and into the path of the patrol car. The two officers who were killed were said not to be part of the pursuit.
Tributes and investigation
Cleveland Police lowered flags to half-mast at their Middlesbrough headquarters in tribute to their fallen colleagues, with the force confirming the uniformed constables were driving their marked armed-response vehicle on the correct side of the A66 before the head-on crash with the 'suspicious' car at 3.39am.
Chief Constable Victoria Fuller paid tribute to her colleagues. She said: "These were brave officers, protecting our communities and serving our residents, who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift."
"This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland. The loss has been felt across our communities, by our police family, and by our partner agencies. My thoughts, and the thoughts of everybody here at Cleveland Police, are with their families, friends, colleagues, and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time."
Lauren Somerville, chairman of the Cleveland Police Federation, added: "Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family is feeling today. Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. That is just unfathomable."
The Independent Office for Police Conduct have since opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash. Chief Constable Fuller added: "While this investigation is ongoing, and out of respect for all those who have lost loved ones, I would strongly urge people to avoid speculation and respect the privacy of the families."
The crash comes just days after five teenagers died in a head-on collision on a motorway in Ireland. Masked youngsters were travelling the wrong way down the M9 in County Kildare at 2am last Sunday when the smash occurred. The occupants of the other vehicle – three sisters and a seven-year-old boy – suffered serious injuries in the crash and remain in hospital.
