Car Drives Wrong Way on A66 Weeks After Fatal Crash
Two teenagers arrested after a vehicle fled police and drove against traffic on the A66, echoing a deadly incident two months prior.
A car was filmed driving the wrong way down the A66 in a pursuit that occurred just after midnight last Wednesday, echoing a fatal crash on the same road in August that killed seven people. Two 16-year-old boys were in the Renault Megane when it fled police, subsequently hitting street furniture before entering the A66 against the flow of traffic. A West Yorkshire Police officer arrested both youths.
This incident follows a crash on August 22, where a Volkswagen Passat collided head-on with an oncoming Cleveland Police car while attempting to evade officers. That crash resulted in the deaths of PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, along with five passengers in the Passat: Michael Robert Cahill, 23; Jakub Matusiak, 23; Makai Saddington, 18; and 17-year-olds Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy.
Following the recent arrest, one of the 16-year-old boys pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and disqualified driving at Teesside Magistrates' Court and is scheduled for sentencing in November. The second boy was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was released on bail pending further investigation.
This was one of three separate incidents within a week where vehicles drove the wrong way on major roads in the Cleveland area, near the site of the August fatal crash. In a second case, a car fled police in Middlesbrough before turning onto Acklam Road and proceeding the wrong way down the A66. Cleveland Police are investigating the driver in this incident. Three days later, police responded to a report of a Volkswagen Passat driving erratically in Thornaby, which then drove against traffic on the A19.
Chief Superintendent Paul Richardson of Cleveland Police stated that the recent incidents, including young people driving dangerously and contraflow on busy roads, put innocent road users at immediate, serious risk of harm or death. He emphasized that the force would pursue and prosecute anyone committing such offenses with the full force of the law.
The August crash led to an extensive police operation against organized crime, with 50 arrests made. Cleveland Police experienced significant strain on their resources in the aftermath of the crash, as authorities feared escalating violence. The area, particularly Middlesbrough, has seen rising crime rates, with local officials expressing concerns about public safety. Hundreds of officers were deployed to restore order in Middlesbrough.