Cleveland Police said 12 people have been arrested over alleged criminality leading up to the collision
A group of men who died alongside two police officers in a head-on collision while travelling down the wrong side of a dual carriageway had 37 convictions between them.
Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Jacob Matusiak, 23, were pronounced dead at the scene at South Bank in Teesside early on Saturday.
Each had admitted multiple serious offences in the years before the crash. A fifth person killed in the collision, Michael Cahill, 23, did not have any previous convictions.
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat, which was being pursued by police, crashed with their police car in a head-on collision.
It is believed the events may have had links to “serious and organised criminal activity”, and the vehicle may have been associated with another car which was seen ramming properties earlier that morning.
Cleveland Police said nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, have been arrested after an investigation over the weekend into alleged criminal activity before the crash.
These included four people arrested on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group and four on suspicion of possessing a firearm.
Four of the suspects are also accused of possessing Class A and B drugs with intent to supply.
Of the five men killed in the crash, Saddington, Rae and Worthy had all pleaded guilty to separate offences of assaulting a police officer, while Matusiak had pleaded guilty to one count of driving without a licence and one count of driving without insurance.
Between October 2023 and June 2026, the four pleaded guilty to 37 offences.
Rae had 12 shoplifting offences between October 2023 and May 2024, as well as one theft of a vehicle, three thefts from a vehicle, two offences of aggravated vehicle taking and one offence of cannabis possession.
Meanwhile, Saddington had pleaded guilty to possessing a Class C drug and a knife in a public place, as well as four offences of assaulting a police officer and one of racially aggravated intentional harassment.
Worthy had pleaded guilty to four driving offences, using abusive language in 2024 and failing to surrender to custody in 2025.
The force said on the morning of the collision, it received several reports of two vehicles being driven dangerously.
The first vehicle, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was witnessed ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area.
The second vehicle, a Volkswagen Passat, is believed to have been associated with the activities of the Volvo. Police said both vehicles were operating with cloned number plates but were picked up by automated number plate recognition technology.
The Volvo XC60 involved in the initial reports has been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough.
Police said there was no evidence that filming of the activities on Friday night and Saturday morning was “for the purposes of TikTok”.
Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox, responsible for the strategic leadership of the investigation, said: “This has been a fast-moving and complex investigation, with significant links to serious and organised criminal activity.”
He went on to say: “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.”
Flowers left beside the A66 close to the crash site paid tribute to the officers who died.
PC Blades and PC Clough were not involved in the original pursuit, but had been called to the area to assist with the search for the Passat.
Family members described former Civil Nuclear Constabulary officer PC Clough as “our hero” who was “always on public duty”.
The father’s family called him “our superhero” and said: “He gave his life in the line of duty, protecting and serving others with courage, dedication and selflessness.”
In a statement issued by Cleveland Police, PC Blades’ wife called him “my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys”.
She said he was “an adored son and brother, a perfect son-in-law, and the most fun uncle”.
“He was loved beyond words by all his family and friends, and his loss has left a space that can never be filled,” she added.