Five more people arrested over fatal A66 crash that killed two police officers

A 16-year-old boy is among five more people arrested by detectives investigating events leading up to a crash on the A66 that killed two police officers and five others.

It brings the total number of arrests to 17 following the fatal crash near Middlesbrough in the early hours of Saturday.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway and hit their marked armed-response vehicle.

Cleveland Police say they have now arrested five more people with the help of the National Crime Agency and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit.

The force said those arrested were a boy aged 16, an 18-year-old and a man of 21, all on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group; a 23-year-old on suspicion of making threats to kill and a 55-year-old on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Cleveland Police said two of the 12 people previously arrested have already appeared in court.

Kai Beattie, 19, of Foxrush Court, Redcar, appeared before Teesside Magistrates’ Court charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, according to the force.

Cameron George, 26, of Micklow Close, Redcar, was remanded in custody to appear at Teesside Crown Court on September 21 charged with drugs offences and possession of criminal property, it said.

Police have previously said that the five young men in the Passat may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”.

Four of the five young men in the car had previous criminal convictions, and were believed to be associated with another car which was seen ramming properties earlier that morning.

Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were killed when the Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven the wrong way along the dual-carriageway and hit their marked armed response vehicle.

The five people in the Passat, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak, were pronounced dead at the scene at South Bank, early on Saturday.

Inquests were due to open on Thursday morning for the two officers with hearing for the young men in the Passat were scheduled for the afternoon at Teesside Magistrates’ Court.

Cleveland Police has previously said that on the morning of the collision, it received several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously.