One of the teenage occupants of a car that crashed into police officers, killing them and five young men, was awaiting trial for charges including racially abusing and assaulting officers. Makai Saddington, 18, was one of five individuals in a VW Passat that traveled the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesborough before colliding head-on with officers.
Saddington had been accused of assaulting a sergeant and causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to a PC. He made his first court appearance on July 17, with his case adjourned to a later date. Reports indicate Saddington had previously posted videos of himself involved in police chases.
The crash resulted in the deaths of PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, as well as the five occupants of the Passat: Michael Robert Cahill, 23; Theo Rae, 17; Cole Robert Worthy, 17; Jacob Matusiak, 23; and Saddington. The group had been fleeing from police when they drove the wrong way down the dual carriageway and collided with the officers, who were not involved in the pursuit. The police pursuit had been called off approximately ten seconds before the collision.
Families of the deceased officers have released tributes. PC Clough's family described him as a "hero with a fantastic sense of humour" who "proudly fought for his country to make the world a better place." PC Blades' widow remembered him as "my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys," stating, "He gave his life in the line of duty, protecting and serving others with courage, dedication and selflessness."
A GoFundMe appeal established to support the officers' families had raised over £100,000 by Sunday night.
In the aftermath, footage has emerged showing some of the young men engaging in reckless driving and police chases in the months prior to the fatal crash. Videos shared on platforms like TikTok appear to depict dangerous driving, sometimes in stolen vehicles, in what has been described as a trend of filming stunts for online views.
This incident occurred just six days after a similar tragedy in County Kildare, Ireland, where five teenagers died in a head-on collision while driving the wrong way on the M9 motorway during a police pursuit. In that incident, the occupants of the vehicle were reportedly filming themselves. Three sisters and a young boy in the car they struck sustained serious injuries and remain hospitalized.