Two 17-year-old boys were among seven people who were killed when a car travelling the wrong way along a dual carriageway in northeast England crashed into a police vehicle.
Michael Robert Cahill (23), Theo Rae (17), Cole Robert Worthy (17), Jacob Matusiak (23) and Makai Saddington (18) all died when their Volkswagen Passat collided with a marked police armed response vehicle on the A66 near Middlesbrough early on Saturday.
Police officers Matthew Blades (37) and Tom Clough (38) were also killed in the collision and had been driving in the correct direction.
Officers had aborted the pursuit of the Volkswagen, which was believed to be using cloned plates, seconds before it crashed into a different police vehicle, killing seven people, the police watchdog said.
The incident was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which said on Sunday that 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.
Cleveland Police had received intelligence relating to “numerous incidents” linked to a Passat, the watchdog said in its description of events.
The vehicle, containing the five occupants and believed to have been using cloned plates, was spotted.
The plates had activated an ANPR camera, the IOPC added.
An armed response vehicle started a pursuit that lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat drove on to the A66 in South Bank against the flow of traffic.
Police aborted the chase and continued to travel on the correct side of the carriageway.
The Passat crashed into Pc Blades and Pc Clough’s vehicle around 10 seconds after the pursuit ceased.
On Sunday, Anna Turley, a minister in the UK Home Office and the local MP, said it was “devastating” to think about the grief of the families of everyone who lost their lives on Saturday morning. The whole community was “reeling”, she said.
“All of us in the community here are sending our heartfelt thoughts and sympathies to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives so tragically,” she told BBC Breakfast.
Turley said it was important to avoid speculation about what might have happened and allow families the privacy to grieve. “I do want to place on record my tribute to PC Blades and PC Clough. The bravery that we see from our police officers every day, every night is incredible. No one should not come home to their families at the end of their shift.”
A local football club, Seaton Carew FC, said Blades had recently joined as a coach and would have been coaching his own son in a new under-sevens Seahawks team.
In a tribute, the club said the news was devastating. It said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Matty’s wife, his two boys, and all of his family and friends at this incredibly difficult and heartbreaking time.
“We also stand alongside Matty’s colleagues and friends within the police service, who have tragically lost members of their force. All club flags are flying at half mast as a sign of respect.”
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Andy Burnham said he was “devastated” to hear two police officers had lost their lives on duty, as well as five members of the public. The British prime minister said: “My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of everyone involved, and with everyone at Cleveland police. Thank you to the emergency services responding in incredibly difficult circumstances. I would urge people to avoid speculation at this time.”
The Cleveland police chief constable, Victoria Fuller, said she and her deputy had on Saturday visited the families of the two officers to offer condolences and support.
“This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland,” she said. “This loss is being felt across our communities, by our police family and by our partner agencies. These were brave officers, protecting our communities and serving our residents, who didn’t return home to their families at the end of their shift.”
Lauren Somerville, the chair of Cleveland police federation, said the grief among officers was “all-consuming, overwhelming”. She said: “Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland police family are feeling.”
The scene at the A66 near Middlesbrough, England on Sunday, following the fatal crash in which seven people died. Photograph: Richard McCarthy/PA Wire
Tributes and messages of support for the families of the five young men have poured in on social media, with many of their friends saying they “can’t believe it” and were “heartbroken” and “lost for words”.
Balloon releases have been announced in their memory, on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, at different locations including in South Bank. – Guardian/PA