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A66 crash after pursuit
Seven people, including two police officers, died early Saturday in a head-on collision in the northeast of England after a pursuit, Cleveland Police said.
“Seven people, including two police officers, died early Saturday”
The crash happened on the A66 highway near Middlesbrough, where a Volkswagen Passat carrying five members of the public was traveling the wrong way and collided with a police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction.
Cleveland Police said the seven people were pronounced dead at the scene after the crash at 3:39 a.m., and police were still working to formally identify some of them.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it was opening an investigation and that, at this early stage, it understood Cleveland Police sighted a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began.
BBC reported that the collision involved a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough in Teesside, at about 03:39 BST, and that North East Ambulance Service said 14 "ambulance resources" attended and "a number of patients died at the scene."
Officers abandoned seconds before
BBC said investigators found police abandoned the pursuit seconds before the crash, with the Passat striking a Cleveland Police vehicle after traveling the wrong way down a dual carriageway.
BBC identified the victims as Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17, and also named PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, who were on the correct side of the road and helping search for the car.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct said the Passat was believed to be using cloned registration plates that activated an ANPR camera, and that the pursuit lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat traveled onto the wrong side.
Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said it was an "incredibly sad day for Cleveland" and added, "No one should leave their home and not return safely."
Al Jazeera reported Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said, "This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland," and named the two dead officers as police constables Matthew Blades, 37, and Tom Clough, 38.
Investigation and public messaging
Cleveland Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct opened an investigation into the circumstances of the collision, with the BBC saying the watchdog was opening an investigation and that it understood a pursuit began after a suspicious vehicle was sighted.
“"This is a quickly evolving incident and we ask that members of the public respectfully avoid speculation."”
BBC quoted a police spokesman saying, "Sadly, the collision has resulted in multiple fatalities," and said officers were working to identify the victims and contact their families.
BBC also said the force asked members of the public to avoid speculation, adding it was a "quickly evolving incident" and that it asked people to "respectfully avoid speculation."
ABC News quoted local lawmaker Anna Turley saying, "It is crucial that we respect that process and avoid speculation at this deeply painful time," as Cleveland Police investigated the accident alongside the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Al Jazeera said UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged people "to avoid speculation at this time" after naming the two officers and saying Cleveland Police had formally identified the passengers in the Volkswagen Passat and was contacting their families.