Five More Arrested Over A66 Crash That Killed Seven, Including Two Police Officers

Five More Arrested Over A66 Crash That Killed Seven, Including Two Police Officers Police investigating a fatal wrong-way crash near Middlesbrough have arrested five more people, bringing the total number of arrests connected to the wider investigation to 17. The crash killed seven people, including two police officers. The collision happened early Saturday on the A66 near Middlesbrough, when a Volkswagen Passat travelling on the wrong side of the dual carriageway collided head-on with a marked armed-response police vehicle. The two officers killed were PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. All five occupants of the Volkswagen also died at the scene. They were identified as Cole Robert Worthy, 17; Theo Rae, 17; Makai Saddington, 18; Michael Robert Cahill, 23; and Jacob Matusiak, 23. The latest arrests include a 16-year-old boy, an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old man, all held on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group. A 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, while a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill. The arrests follow the detention of 12 people a day earlier as police investigated reports involving the Passat and another vehicle, a Volvo XC60. Those earlier arrests included suspects held over alleged organised crime, firearms offences and possession of Class A and B drugs with intent to supply. Police have said the five people who died in the Passat had links to serious and organised criminal activity, with four of them having a combined 37 previous convictions for offences including weapons possession, vehicle theft, drug offences and dangerous driving. The circumstances surrounding the crash are also being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, given that police had pursued the vehicle shortly before the fatal collision. The tragedy has also intensified concerns about a growing trend of young people posting or sharing videos showing dangerous driving and attempts to evade police on social media. Police representatives have called on social media platforms to do more to remove content that encourages reckless driving. The UK government has also backed stronger action by the communications regulator, Ofcom, against platforms that fail to moderate such material. Meanwhile, a fundraiser for the families of PCs Blades and Clough has raised more than £750,000, as tributes continue to be paid to the two officers. The investigation remains ongoing, and an arrest does not mean a person has been charged or found guilty of an offence.