Middlesbrough gang war - live: Chaos as man stabbed and home rammed after A66 crash

Middlesbrough gang war - live: Chaos as man stabbed and home rammed after A66 crash Footage shared online show several cars set alight in a field as balloons are released at a memorial thought to be for Michael Robert Cahill, 23, who died in the A66 crash Police have been scrambled to multiple incidents across Teesside overnight as escalating violence linked to criminal gangs threatens to spiral out of control. The town is gripped by fear of a gangland turf war that has claimed nine lives in five days following the death of seven people, including two police officers, in a crash on the A66 at the weekend. Footage shared online shows a number of cars on fire in a field as balloons were released at a memorial event, thought to be for Michael Robert Cahill, 23, who died in the A66 crash. On Wednesday, Valentina Foster, 7, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, were killed in a house fire in Grangetown. Two men have since been arrested on suspicion of murder. At noon on Thursday a 39-year-old man was stabbed on the Bankfields estate in Eston, only two miles from the scene of the fatal crash. Hours earlier, a house was rammed. Around 200 police, including armed officers, have been brought in from other areas to support Cleveland Police. Key Events The scenes of burning vehicles come after a wave of violence in Middlesbrough following the fatal A66 crash which has seen hundreds of extra police officers drafted in. - A series of suspected gang-related incidents started after the crash on Saturday, which saw a Volkswagen Passat that had been evading police and travelling the wrong way down the A66 crashed into a police car, killing two officers and the five men in the Volkswagen. Police said 17 people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident. - Then on Wednesday, Valentina Foster, 7, and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, were killed in a house fire in Grangetown. Two men have since been arrested on suspicion of murder. Police said investigators were “keeping an open mind” about the cause of the blaze and did not “rule out any links to wider organised crime”. - On Thursday morning in South Bank, Middlesbrough a house was rammed by a “jeep-type car” according to a neighbour.The vehicle kept driving into the front wall of the home until it was “smashed down” the neighbour said. - Later on Thursday a 39-year-old man was stabbed on the Bankfields estate in Eston, only two miles from the scene of the fatal crash. Armed police were dispatched to the scene where the front door of a house had been smashed. The victim is currently in hospital receiving treatment. - Following the incidents, Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, said more than 200 extra police officers have been, or will be, deployed from around the country to support Cleveland Police. Officers from neighbouring forces, including Northumbria Police, Durham Constabulary and Humberside Police, have been called in, as well as officers from the National Crime Agency. A video clip shows cars burning at the vigil for Michael Cahill, 23, who died in the A66 head-on crash that killed two police officers. At least five vehicles were reportedly set alight at the event in a field near Haswell, County Durham. A series of vigils and balloon releases have already been held following the deaths of the five young men. Around 100 people gathered on Wednesday night to pay tribute to Makai, Theo and Cole, with some of those attending seen setting off flares. A separate vigil was held for Jacob Matusiak on Monday, where orange balloons were released into the sky as crowds cheered. People wearing face coverings were also pictured setting off coloured flares, filling the sky with thick orange, red and blue smoke. Michael Cahill, 23, was among five travelling in a Volkswagen Passat which crashed into a marked police car while travelling the wrong way on the A66. Michael’s mum urged friends to bring “bikes, jeeps, cars and quads” to a balloon release in a field in Peterlee, County Durham, on Thursday evening. The message was posted on social media as she announced a reported “change of plans” for the tribute. A fatal crash on the A66 which killed seven people including two police officers on duty was followed by a fatal house fire that claimed the lives of seven-year-old Valentina Foster and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34. The house fire feared to be a gangland revenge attack following the A66 tragedy. Cleveland Police admit that the deaths of Valentina and her aunt could be related to "organised crime gangs". Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, told Times Radio on Thursday: “People are saying that they are going to their shops and not feeling safe to do so and feeling trapped in their own homes. “That is just unacceptable. “This is terrorism and we’ve got to have an appropriate response to deal with the people who are causing such mayhem in our communities and to allow people to lead their peaceful lives.” Residents told of their concerns after two more incidents in the same area on Thursday. A vehicle crashed into a wall outside a house in Steele Crescent, South Bank, minutes away from the other two scenes in the early hours and at about midday a 39-year-old was stabbed in nearby Sedgemoor Road, Eston. A man who lives near the scene of the stabbing said people in the area were “trying to keep our heads down”. Referring to the postcode which covers Eston and Grangetown and South Bank, among other areas, he said: “TS6 has gone mad, it’s brutal. “We are just trying to keep our heads down.” Anna Turley, MP for Redcar said in a post on Facebook: “I know how worried people are, and understandably people want to know what is being done. “There is a significant response under way, with additional officers and resources being brought into our area and agencies working together around the clock.” She added: “People have a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. That is our absolute priority.” Hundreds of extra police officers have been drafted in after a spate of deadly incidents in a Teesside town, which a local MP says has left people “not feeling safe” going to the shops. Some 200 extra officers have been deployed to help Cleveland Police after a number of violent incidents which followed a head-on crash on the A66, which killed seven people, including two police officers, on Saturday. Alec Brown, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, said officers were “working 20-hour days to ensure the ongoing safety of innocent residents”. Middlesbrough locals have taken to social media to share sightings of police incidents across the area. One bystander said they saw a car driving the wrong way around a roundabout while being persued by police. The car i said to have 'narrowly missed' another vehicle on the road at the time. Other residents have reported groups riding on quad bikes wearing balaclavas in the town. Footage from a balloon release in the Teesside area shows cars set ablaze and fireworks set off as crowds gather. The event is thought to be in memory of Michael Robert Cahill, 23, one of the five men who were killed travelling the wrong way down the A66 in a Volkswagen Passet at the weekend. [Image text:] OLICE POLICE POLICE