Teen dead in A66 crash which also killed cops 'seen in police chase on TikTok'

A teenager believed to have died in the A66 crash which killed two police officers had previously posted videos of himself taking part in high-speed police chases on social media, reports suggest.

The teen is said to have published a string of clips on TikTok which appeared to show a car driving erratically through residential streets in recent months. In a clip filmed by a passenger in May with rap music playing in the background, an individual is driving an Audi at speed through a housing estate as a police car's blue lights can be seen behind.

The car then veers across a grassy playing field as the teenager tries to evade police officers. The TikTok account has since been removed.

The footage has come to light as the individual is understood to have died - along with four other people - when a Volkswagen Passat was driven on the wrong side of the A66 near Middlesbrough and into an armed police car travelling in the right direction.

The two Cleveland Police officers in the marked police vehicle, who have since been named as PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, died at the scene of the crash in the early hours of yesterday. Ring doorbell footage captured by houses in the area just minutes before the crash shows the Passat being driven at speed.

A pursuit of the "suspicious vehicle" came to a halt as the Passat turned on to the A66 three minutes before the crash. PC Blades and PC Clough were not part of the chase. Chief Constable Victoria Fuller paid tribute to her colleagues, saying: "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.

"This is an incredibly sad day for Cleveland. The loss has been felt across our communities, by our police family, and by our partner agencies. My thoughts, and the thoughts of everybody here at Cleveland Police, are with their families, friends, colleagues, and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time."

Lauren Somerville, chairman of the Cleveland Police Federation, added: "Words cannot describe the pain the Cleveland Police family is feeling today. Our colleagues who should have been going home to their loved ones at the end of their shifts are not. That is just unfathomable."

The Independent Office for Police Conduct have since opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fatal crash. Chief Constable Fuller added: "While this investigation is ongoing, and out of respect for all those who have lost loved ones, I would strongly urge people to avoid speculation and respect the privacy of the families."

Just last week on Sunday, five teenagers died in a head-on collision on the M9 motorway in County Kildare, Ireland. The masked youngsters drove their vehicle on the wrong side of the road and into a family's car, leaving three adult sisters and a boy fighting for their lives.