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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE] · [CRIME]

3 clusters · 117 sources · 3 days · First seen 3 days ago · Last updated about 16 hours ago

A66 collision near Middlesbrough

Overview

On August 22, a head-on collision occurred on the A66 near Middlesbrough in northeast England. The crash involved a Volkswagen Passat traveling the wrong way on a dual carriageway, which struck a marked Cleveland Police armed response vehicle. The incident resulted in seven fatalities: two police officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, and five young occupants of the Passat: Michael Robert Cahill, 23; Theo Rae, 17; Cole Robert Worthy, 17; Jacob Matusiak, 23; and Makai Saddington, 18. It has been clarified that while Cleveland Police had been pursuing the Passat due to intelligence regarding cloned plates, the vehicle carrying PC Blades and PC Clough was not part of the original chase but had been dispatched to the area to assist. Reports indicate the active pursuit had been abandoned approximately ten seconds before the impact. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched a mandatory investigation into the circumstances of the pursuit and the crash. Cleveland Police have stated the crash has “significant links to serious and organised criminal activity.” Twelve people have been arrested in connection with criminal activities leading up to the collision, including suspicions of involvement in an organised crime group and firearm possession. Four of the deceased individuals in the Passat reportedly had previous criminal convictions. Public attention has focused on social media following reports that Makai Saddington had shared TikTok videos appearing to show involvement in previous police pursuits and high-speed driving. Saddington had been awaiting trial for allegations of assaulting and racially abusing police officers. In response, the UK government has urged social media platforms to remove videos that celebrate dangerous driving. Tributes have been paid to the fallen officers, with Chief Constable Victoria Fuller describing them as “brave officers protecting our communities.”

Entities

Cleveland Police · PC Tom Clough · PC Matthew Blades · Independent Office for Police Conduct · Matthew Blades

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

[● 4 SOURCES] Seven people died in the collision, including two police officers and five young men. www.forchecaudine.com · internewscast.com · metro.co.uk · www.ibtimes.co.uk
[● 4 SOURCES] Defence Minister Luke Pollard urged social media platforms to remove videos celebrating dangerous driving. ca.news.yahoo.com · www.gbnews.com · www.dailymail.com · www.independent.co.uk
[● 4 SOURCES] Makai Saddington was awaiting trial for allegedly assaulting a police officer and causing racially aggravated distress. internewscast.com · ca.news.yahoo.com · www.gbnews.com · www.independent.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] The crash has significant links to serious and organised criminal activity. metro.co.uk · uk.news.yahoo.com · www.standard.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] Twelve people have been arrested in connection with activities leading up to the crash. metro.co.uk · uk.news.yahoo.com · www.standard.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] The IOPC has opened an independent investigation into the circumstances of the crash. www.forchecaudine.com · www.asaps.it · www.ibtimes.co.uk
[● 3 SOURCES] The Volkswagen Passat involved in the crash was suspected of using cloned number plates. www.forchecaudine.com · www.asaps.it · uk.news.yahoo.com
[● 2 SOURCES] Arrests include suspects for participating in an organised crime group and possession of a firearm. uk.news.yahoo.com · www.standard.co.uk

Timeline

about 16 hours ago

[CRIME] 18 sources
A66 crash kills seven, including two police officers
Seven people, including two police officers and five young men, died in a wrong-way crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough. Police are investigating links to organised crime and social media reckless driving.
about 17 hours ago

[CRIME] 6 sources
Cleveland Police officers killed in A66 wrong-way crash
Two police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, were killed in a wrong-way crash on the A66. Fundraisers for their families have surpassed £250,000 as investigations continue.
3 days ago

[CRIME] 102 sources
A66 collision near Middlesbrough kills seven, including two police officers
Seven people, including two Cleveland Police officers, died in a head-on collision on the A66 near Middlesbrough after a Volkswagen Passat traveling the wrong way struck a police vehicle.

Sources

1001infos.net · 324.cat · 7news.com.au · a1on.mk · adevarul.ro · akhbarona.com · aljazeera.com · amica.de · asaps.it · baoquangtri.vn · bl-portal.com · blick.ch · breakingnews.ie · businessdaily.gr · ca.sports.yahoo.com · calibre800.com · chronicle.ng · cinquecolonne.it · communitynews.com.au · cyprus-mail.com · dailydigest.ie · dailymail.co.uk · dailytimes.com.pk · delo.si · deutschlandsuchtdensuperstar.de · diariodelsur.com.co · dnews.gr · elbasanion.al · epokaere.com · estrepublicain.fr · eurovizyon.co.uk · extra.com.co · extra.ie · fakt.pl · fakti.bg · fanpage.it · forchecaudine.it · fr.news.yahoo.com · fullfact.org · gazzetta.gr · gbnews.com · gript.ie · haberts.com · hellenicshippingnews.com · hsbnoticias.com · ibtimes.co.uk · independent.co.uk · index.hr

This summary has been updated 4 times: see revision history