Twelve people have been arrested in connection with criminal activity allegedly linked to a crash on the UK’s A66 that killed seven people, including two police officers.Cleveland Police said nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, were detained as part of a wider investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision near Middlesbrough.The crash happened when a Volkswagen Passat travelling in the wrong direction on the A66 collided with a marked armed response vehicle carrying PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough. Both officers died in the collision.Five men travelling in the Passat also died. They were aged between 17 and 23 and were pronounced dead at the scene.Police said those arrested are suspected of offences ranging from firearm possession to involvement in an organised crime group. Four of the five men who died in the Passat had previously been convicted of offences, according to investigators.
Investigation into criminal activity
The arrests form part of what Cleveland Police described as a large-scale investigation into criminal activity connected to the fatal collision.Officers from Durham, Northumbria and North Yorkshire police forces have assisted with the investigation.Police have also recovered a Volvo XC60 which investigators believe was connected to the activities of people travelling in the Passat.Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox said the investigation had involved serious and organised crime and would continue.He said: “We have a duty to respond to, and thoroughly investigate, the serious criminal activity that resulted in this fatal incident, and to bring all those responsible to justice.”Fox also paid tribute to the two officers who died and said colleagues had continued working despite the impact of their deaths.He added that the incident would have a lasting effect on the Cleveland community and thanked members of the public and police forces for their support.Cleveland Police has also addressed reports of an increase in videos showing dangerous driving being shared online.The force said there was “no evidence to indicate that filming of the activities that took place on Friday night and Saturday morning has taken place for TikTok”
