Five more arrests in fatal A66 crash investigation
The new arrests include a 16-year-old boy and two men held on suspicion of being in an organised crime group.
Five more people have been arrested in connection with a fatal wrong-way crash on the A66 in Middlesbrough, bringing the total number of arrests to 17, according to Cleveland Police. The latest arrests include a 16-year-old boy, two men aged 18 and 21, a 55-year-old man, and a 23-year-old man. The 16-year-old and the two older men were arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group, while the 55-year-old was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.
The 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill. Two men have already been charged as part of the investigation.
The fatal crash occurred on Saturday at 03:39 BST when a Volkswagen Passat, traveling in the wrong direction, collided with a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle. The crash resulted in the deaths of seven people, including two police officers, PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37. Other victims included Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and 17-year-old Cole Robert Worthy.
During the pursuit of the Passat, officers had been following the vehicle for nearly seven minutes before abandoning the pursuit 10 seconds before the crash. The Independent Office for Police Conduct reported that the Passat had been connected to earlier alleged criminal activity. On Monday, the force received reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously, with one believed to be a Volvo XC60 ramming properties in Middlesbrough and the other, a Passat, associated with this activity.
Both vehicles were found to have cloned number plates, which were detected through automated number plate recognition technology.
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