Nine men and three women aged between 19 and 61 have been arrested by police probing a crash on the A66 which killed two police officers. 

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died early on Saturday when a Volkswagen Passat travelling the wrong way near Middlesbrough crashed head-on into their police car. 

Some of those arrested over the investigation are suspected of ‘participating in the activities of an organised crime group’, Cleveland Police said, adding that four of those killed in the car which hit the police vehicle had previous police convictions.  

The young men in the VW, which had been chased by other officers, were named as Michael Robert Cahill, 23; Jacob Matusiak, 23; Makai Saddington, 18; Theo Rae, 17; Cole Robert Worthy, 17.

Yesterday the Daily Mail revealed Saddington’s TikTok featured a string of videos appearing to show him in high-speed police chases.

One clip filmed in May and set to rap music showed the 18-year-old being driven in an Audi speeding through a housing estate with the blue lights of a police car in pursuit flashing.

Another video on an account linked to him showed a green Nissan being driven around before it is set alight, while images posted elsewhere show him and a friend posing in cars wearing black balaclavas.

And this morning it was reported Saddington was awaiting trial on charges of racially abusing and assaulting police officers.

PC Matthew Blades, a father-of-two, was killed after his police car was hit head-on by a Volkswagen Passat driving the wrong way down the A66 near Middlesbrough

PC Tom Clough also died in the crash, which happened ten seconds after a police pursuit of the Volkswagen was called off