Twelve people have been arrested on suspicion of offences, including involvement with organised crime, as part of an investigation into a crash on the A66. The collision killed two police officers and five other individuals.
Cleveland police stated that nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, were arrested. The suspected offences range from possession of a firearm to participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
Police officers had responded to reports of two cars being driven dangerously on Saturday, 22 August. A Volkswagen Passat, which later collided with the vehicle of PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, had been sought in connection with a Volvo XC60 seen ramming properties in Middlesbrough.
Both vehicles reportedly had cloned number plates but were identified by automated number plate recognition technology. The Volvo XC60 has since been traced and recovered in Middlesbrough. Four of the five people in the Passat, including three teenagers, had previous convictions.
The force also stated there is currently no evidence to suggest that filming of activities on Friday night and Saturday morning took place for TikTok purposes.