A residential property belonging to the father of a teenager who died in a wrong-way collision on the A66 in Middlesbrough was rammed by a vehicle shortly before the fatal crash occurred.
Cole Worthy, 17, was one of five young men travelling in a Volkswagen Passat who were killed when their vehicle, driving in the wrong direction, collided with a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle. The crash, which took place at 03:39 BST on Saturday, also claimed the lives of two police officers, PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37.
The other young men in the Passat who died were Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and Theo Rae, 17.
Prior to the collision, police received multiple reports of two vehicles driving dangerously around Middlesbrough. A Volvo XC60 was observed ramming properties, including a red-bricked semi-detached house in a quiet residential street in Acklam.
The targeted house, which belongs to Worthy's father, suffered significant damage, with its downstairs bay window smashed, bricks scattered on the ground, and an upstairs bedroom window broken.
Neighbours reported hearing loud bangs at approximately 02:00 BST on Saturday, and noted a heavy police presence in the area throughout the weekend. There is no suggestion that Worthy's father was involved in any criminal activity.
It is understood that Worthy and the four other occupants set out in the Passat after his father's home was rammed. Investigators are linking the movements of the Volvo XC60 and the Passat. Both cars were operating with cloned license plates but were detected by automated number plate recognition technology.
According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), police officers had been pursuing the Passat for nearly seven minutes after linking it to earlier alleged criminal activity. However, the pursuit was abandoned 10 seconds before the crash when the Passat turned onto the dual carriageway in the wrong direction.
Security footage from another property on Lime Road in Middlesbrough appeared to capture a vehicle being pursued by police three minutes before the collision.
An extensive police investigation into the events leading up to the crash has resulted in 17 arrests so far. On Monday, police arrested nine men and three women, aged between 18 and 61, across Teesside. These individuals were detained on suspicion of various offences, including possession of a firearm and participation in an organised crime group.
Two men from this group have since been charged: one with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, and the other with possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs, as well as possession of criminal property.
On Tuesday, Cleveland Police confirmed five additional arrests. These included a 16-year-old boy and two men, aged 18 and 21, suspected of participating in an organised crime group. A 55-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender, and a 23-year-old man was detained on suspicion of making threats to kill.
Other individuals previously arrested in connection with the wider investigation include three men, aged 24, 19, and 35, who remain in custody on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and possessing an offensive weapon. A 21-year-old man, held on suspicion of organised crime group participation, possession of an offensive weapon, and criminal damage, has been remanded on recall to prison.
Additionally, a 30-year-old woman suspected of assisting an offender and a 20-year-old man suspected of threats to cause criminal damage and public order offences both remain in police custody.
Furthermore, a 26-year-old man was charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs and possession of criminal property, and has been remanded in custody. Several others have been released on bail: a 39-year-old man and a 47-year-old woman were granted conditional bail after being arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm without a certificate, drug supply offences (class A and B), and possession of class C drugs.
An 18-year-old man arrested on the same drug and firearm suspicions was released on unconditional bail. Finally, a 61-year-old woman arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm without a certificate, and a 39-year-old man arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill, have both been released on conditional bail.
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