World News

Five more arrested in investigation into fatal A66 wrong-way crash

Cleveland Police have detained 17 total suspects as part of a broader inquiry linked to the collision that killed seven people.

Updated Aug 25, 2026 · 13:53 UTC2 reports

The short version

Cleveland Police arrested five additional suspects on Tuesday, bringing the total number of people detained in connection with the fatal A66 crash to 17.
The collision killed two police officers in an armed response vehicle and five young men traveling in a Volkswagen Passat that was driving the wrong way down the dual carriageway.
Police stated that the Passat was linked to reported property-ramming incidents earlier that morning, and officers had pursued it for nearly seven minutes before calling off the chase shortly before the impact.
Multiple suspects face charges or suspicion related to organized crime, weapons offenses, and drug supply, while police and oversight officials continue their inquiries.

Five additional people, including a 16-year-old boy, were arrested on Tuesday, raising the total arrests in the investigation to 17.[BBC News · The Guardian]
The crash occurred at 03:39 BST on Saturday when a Volkswagen Passat heading the wrong way on the A66 near Middlesbrough struck a Cleveland Police armed response vehicle.[BBC News · The Guardian]
The collision killed police officers PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, as well as Passat occupants Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17.[BBC News · The Guardian]
The Independent Office for Police Conduct stated that police pursued the Passat for nearly seven minutes, ending the pursuit 10 seconds before the crash occurred as the car entered the dual carriageway.[BBC News]
Police reported receiving calls earlier Saturday about two vehicles, including the Passat, driving dangerously and ramming properties in Middlesbrough while operating with cloned license plates.[BBC News]
The broader police operation has yielded charges against at least two individuals for offenses involving drug possession with intent to supply, criminal property, and organized crime involvement.[BBC News]