“Gang rivalry” led to the A66 crash that left two police officers dead, terrified locals have said.
Hordes of balaclava-clad youths have become such a regular sight in Middlesbrough that the community has increasingly failed to crime – out of fear for future repercussions.
Read Also: Raheem Sterling charged with dangerous driving and drug offences following motorway crash
Such sights are even believed to have become “normal” in the area.
So far, police have arrested 17 individuals in relation to the fatal collision which killed five youths and two police officers in the early hours of Saturday morning.
Read Also: Emergency plans for attack on Britain sped up over fears of Russian strike
Seven people died in the collision after the Volkswagen Passat drove the wrong way down the busy A-road near Middlesbrough.
PC Matthew Blades, 38 and PC Tom Clough, 37, were killed in the head-on collision.
Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae, 17, Michael Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Cole Worthy, 17, were also killed in the crash.
Together, the five youths had 37 previous convictions between them, with only Mr Cahill not having a criminal record.
Earlier today, it was revealed the home of Worthy’s father had his house rammed by a vehicle the evening before the incident.
Cleveland Police has confirmed officers are investigating any link between the two incidents on August 22.
Meanwhile, local representatives have raised their head above the parapet to expose the real extent of local crime impacting local residents.
“We have joyriding, drug dealing, off-road motorbikes, shoplifting, the effects of drug users, bricks being thrown at passing cars, houses being rammed by cars,” a local councillor told The Telegraph.
LATEST ON THE A66 CRASH:
- The only good thing from this A66 horror show is finishing off a Labour minister – Kelvin MacKenzie
- Father of teen who died in A66 crash had his house rammed by car before fatal incident
- Five more arrests in probe into A66 crash that killed seven including two police officers
He continued: “There has been a spike in the last few months, and it involves children as young as eight.
“I tell you what, Middlesbrough has lost control. People here have become used to criminality being normal.”
Meanwhile, another councillor, Graham Wilson, said his constituents had been “too scared to do anything” about the drug gangs taking over the town.
Yesterday, hordes of balaclava-clad youths lit flares and set off balloons in a “vigil” for the dead A66 “joyriders” while mourners silently prayed for the two PCs killed in the same crash.
Around 200 people descended on a field in South Bank, near Middlesborough, to pay tribute to deceased rider, Matusiak.
The vigil saw masked youths race around the field on scooters and quad-bikes while other attendees lit orange flares, fireworks and released balloons.
Videos of the event, which had been held shortly after 5pm just a stone’s throw from where the deadly collision took place, showed an array of vehicles revving their engines and honking their horns as orange flares and balloons filled the sky.
One woman in her 20s, who attended the vigil, insisted Matusiak was a “lovely, caring lad” and “not some scumbag who should just be written off and forgotten” – despite his criminal past.
Our Standards:
The GB News Editorial Charter
