Five more arrested over crash that killed seven people including two police officers
A total of 17 people have now been arrested over Saturday’s crash in which car drove wrong way along dual carriageway
TL;DR
- Seven people, including two police officers PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, died in a crash on the A66 near Middlesbrough.
- The crash occurred when a pursued Volkswagen Passat drove the wrong way down the dual carriageway and hit the police vehicle.
- The five occupants of the pursued car, all young individuals, were declared dead at the scene.
- The group had links to serious and organised criminal activity, with several previous convictions among them.
- The incident highlights concerns about young people posting videos of dangerous driving online and "baiting police officers".
- A total of 17 arrests have been made in connection with the crash and dangerous driving incidents.
- Some arrested individuals face charges related to organised crime, firearm possession, drug offenses, and threats to kill.
- Road safety statistics show a rising trend in dangerous driving among young people.
- The government is set to give regulators backing to take action against social media platforms that host videos encouraging dangerous driving.
- Similar fatal or serious incidents involving police pursuits have occurred recently across the UK and Ireland.