The father of one of the five men killed in a wrong-way crash with a police car has been charged with assault at his son's funeral. Gye Worthy, 39, was arrested at Teesside Crematorium in Middlesbrough during a service on Wednesday.
His son, Cole Worthy, 17, died on August 22 when the vehicle he was a passenger in collided with a marked armed police car on the A66 in South Bank. Cleveland Police stated that Gye Worthy has been charged with common assault and obstructing police. He is scheduled to appear at Teesside Magistrates' Court in October.
The funeral for Cole Worthy took place on the same day as that of PC Matthew Blades, 37, one of the officers who died in the crash. PC Blades and his colleague PC Tom Clough were traveling on the A66 when their car was struck head-on by a Passat that was traveling in the wrong direction. According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, the officers were in a vehicle searching for the Passat after its cloned registration plates triggered a camera, though they were not involved in the pursuit that preceded the collision.