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A66 crash after pursuit
Seven people, including two police officers, died in a head-on collision in northeast England after a pursuit, with Cleveland Police saying a Volkswagen Passat carrying five members of the public was traveling the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough and collided with a police vehicle going in the right direction.
“at about 03:39 BST, Cleveland Police said”
The crash occurred at about 3:39 a.m. on Saturday, and the BBC said the collision involved a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat on the A66 in South Bank, near Middlesbrough in Teesside.
Cleveland’s Police and Crime Commissioner Victoria Fuller said the Police detected a suspicious vehicle and a pursuit began, after which the car entered the A66 in the opposite direction and collided with a police patrol car before 4:00 local time.
Fuller named the two officers who died as Matthew Blades and Tom Clough, and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) opened an investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
The Northeast Ambulance Service reported it received a call about a crash between two vehicles and dispatched 14 units to the scene, including paramedics, before saying several people died at the scene despite the efforts of all teams present.
Names, investigation, tributes
The BBC reported that investigators said police abandoned the pursuit seconds before the Passat crashed, killing all five men aboard and two officers, and it identified the five men as Michael Robert Cahill, Jacob Matusiak, Theo Rae, Makai Saddington, and Cole Robert Worthy.
The BBC also said the IOPC understood Cleveland Police sighted a suspicious vehicle and that a pursuit began, and it quoted the watchdog’s view that the Passat was believed to be using cloned registration plates that activated an ANPR camera.
Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller described the day as “an incredibly sad day for Cleveland,” and she said the police force had formally identified the passengers in the Volkswagen Passat and was contacting their families.
Anna Turley, MP for the local Redcar constituency, said it was “crucial that we respect that process and avoid speculation at this deeply painful time,” as Cleveland Police investigated the accident alongside the IOPC.
In tributes released by Cleveland Police, PC Clough’s family said he was “our hero,” and the BBC reported that PC Blades’ wife described him as “loved beyond words.”
Road closures and next steps
The BBC said the A66, described as the major artery through Teesside, was closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane and was set to stay shut for the rest of the day, with the force advising motorists to use alternative routes.
“closed in both directions between Normanby Road and Church Lane”
The BBC also reported that the IOPC said it was opening an investigation and that it had obtained initial accounts of officers involved in the pursuit, the incident log, and in-car footage, with work ongoing to obtain additional material.
Bristol Live said the IOPC confirmed that an armed response vehicle initiated a chase lasting slightly under seven minutes, that officers abandoned the pursuit and proceeded to drive on the proper side of the road, and that around 10 seconds later the Passat collided with the vehicle occupied by Pc Blades and Pc Clough.
The BBC reported that the location of the crash was surrounded by industrial units and factories, and it said there were still “significant emergency service vehicles” on the scene.
In parallel, the BBC quoted the North East Ambulance Service saying, “Sadly, despite the best efforts of everyone attending, a number of patients died at the scene,” and it added that the service sent condolences to all those affected and thanked everyone who helped.