A66 crash gang 'involved in organised crime and ram raids', police confirm

A66 crash gang 'involved in organised crime and ram raids', police confirm One vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was seen ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area. The second vehicle, the Volkswagen Passat involved in the crash that killed seven, was linked to the ram raids. Cleveland Police has arrested nine men and three women as part of their investigation into what happened before the fatal A66 crash that killed seven people. The force said in a statement it had received several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously. The first vehicle, which is believed to be a Volvo XC60, was witnessed to be ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area. The second vehicle, the Volkswagen Passat involved in the crash that killed seven, is believed to have been associated with the activities of the Volvo XC60. Both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates to avoid detection but were picked up by the force's automated number plate recognition technology, Cleveland Police said. The Volvo XC60 involved in the initial reports has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough as part of the criminal investigation This has resulted in the arrests of 12 people across Teesside. Nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, have been arrested on suspicion of several offences. The charges range from possession of a firearm to participating in the activities of an organised crime group. At the current time, there is no evidence to indicate that filming of the activities that took place on Friday night and Saturday morning has taken place for the purposes of TikTok. Four of the occupants of the Passat had previous police convictions One had admitted assaulting a police officer and also appeared in a social media video of a police chase. Makai Saddington, 18, pleaded guilty to assaulting the officer and causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to a second Pc on June 9. Saddington appeared before Teesside Magistrates' Court on July 17 where he admitted the two charges and received a 12-month conditional discharge. He was ordered to pay £50 in compensation. The GoFundMe page for PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, has raised more than £446,000 toward its £700,000 target. The two officers died when their marked armed response vehicle collided with a Volkswagen Passat being driven in the wrong direction. The other four youths who died in the Passat were named as Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, and 23-year-olds Michael Cahill and Jacob Matusiak. A video posted on the TikTok account believed to belong to Makai Saddington in March 2025 showed him and four other young people involved in what appears to be a police pursuit. The video has since been deleted. The 94-second clip showed a car being driven on footpaths and parkland in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, with Saddington as a rear-seat passenger. Another video posted by the same account, also since deleted, appeared to show a joyride where a passenger is smoking, with the speedometer showing 100mph. Then, later in the video, a different car is set on fire. The passengers in this video were not identifiable. Glorification of dangerous driving "for clips and entertainment is utterly disgraceful", No 10 said today. TikTok and other social media firms have been urged to remove wrong-way driving videos from its platforms after two police officers and five others were killed in a crash on the A66. A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "The glorification of dangerous driving for clips and entertainment is utterly disgraceful. "That is why we have raised the issue of this appalling content with social media companies since the tragedy, and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (Lisa Nandy) is clear that it should be removed in line with their legal obligations." She added that Ofcom has the Government's "full backing to take tough action" against platforms which fail in their legal duties PC Tom Clough's commanding officer from his time serving with the Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) paid tribute to his “warmth, humour and authenticity”. The CNC says PC Clough joined in 2013 and served until April 2018 as an authorised firearms officer based at Sellafield Operational Policing Unit. Ch Supt Richard Clark says: "Tom was the epitome of professionalism, bringing dedication, skill and commitment to every task, whether serving within our Dynamic Search and Interdiction Team, or in his role as a Police Medic. "Yet what made Tom truly special was his personality. "Alongside his professional excellence, he possessed a fun-loving, cheeky nature and a wit that could lift spirits even during the most demanding shifts. "He had an extraordinary ability to light up any room he entered and to bring people together through his warmth, humour and authenticity." His colleague who died was a former teacher before joining Cleveland Police. Carmel College in Darlington, Co Durham, part of a Catholic Education Trust, confirmed that PC Matthew Blades had worked as an English teacher there before joining the force. They said: "It is with profound sadness that the Carmel College community joins people across our region in mourning the tragic loss of life this weekend. "In particular, we remember PC Matthew Blades, who was a much-loved and highly valued member of staff at Carmel before leaving teaching to begin a new vocation of service as a police officer. "Many within our community will remember Matty as an intelligent, kind and approachable teacher, a valued colleague and someone who gave generously of himself to the young people in his care. "We remember with great affection the contribution he made to life at Carmel and give thanks for the difference he made during his time with us." They added: "Our thoughts and prayers are especially with Matthew’s wife, his two sons, his wider family, friends and colleagues, and with all those who knew and loved him. "We pray too for PC Tom Clough, his loved ones, and all those affected by the wider tragedy and loss of life. "When we return to College, Mass will be offered for the happy repose of the soul of Matthew Blades, and we will continue to hold in prayer all those who mourn and all whose lives have been changed by what has happened." The police watchdog has now confirmed that the VW Passat was pursued by Cleveland Police officers until seconds before the devastating crash. The IOPC says initial enquiries established that Cleveland Police received intelligence regarding numerous incidents linked to a Volkswagen Passat. The Passat was later sighted, and an armed response vehicle began pursuing the vehicle. The IOPC said analysis of the police vehicle in car footage shows the pursuit lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat was driven onto the A66 in South Bank, against the flow of traffic. An IOPC spokesperson said: "A short time after the pursuit ended, approximately 10 seconds later, the Passat collided with another police vehicle that was not involved in the pursuit but was in the area to assist in a search for the Passat believed to be using cloned plates that had activated an ANPR camera." IOPC Director of Engagement Derrick Campbell said: "Our thoughts continue to be with the family and friends and all those affected by the collision. We recognise the devastating impact the incident has had on those in the force, and the wider policing community, and offer our condolences. "We have obtained initial accounts of officers involved in the pursuit, the incident log, and in-car footage of the incident. Work is ongoing to obtain additional material. "IOPC investigators will continue to review and analyse all the evidence available to us. We will not be providing any further comment at this time."