Five more individuals have been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into a fatal wrong-way crash on the A66 in Middlesbrough that resulted in the deaths of seven people, including two police officers. Cleveland Police confirmed the arrests on Tuesday.
The newly arrested individuals include a 16-year-old boy, an 18-year-old man, and a 21-year-old man, all apprehended on suspicion of participating in an organized crime group. Additionally, a 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and a 23-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill. These five arrests bring the total number of people detained in connection with the incident to 17.
The crash occurred at approximately 3:39 a.m. BST on Saturday when a Volkswagen Passat, traveling in the wrong direction on the A66 at South Bank near Middlesbrough, collided head-on with a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle traveling in the opposite direction. All seven occupants of both vehicles were killed.
The victims have been identified as PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, from the police vehicle. The occupants of the Passat were Michael Robert Cahill, 23; Jacob Matusiak, 23; Makai Saddington, 18; Theo Rae, 17; and Cole Robert Worthy, 17. All those arrested remain in custody.