Father of teenager who died in A66 crash that also killed police had house rammed beforehand

A house reportedly owned by the father of a teenager who died in a crash that killed two police officers was rammed by a car before the collision.

Cole Worthy, 17, was one of five young men who died when the VW Passat they were in was driven in the wrong direction on the A66 in Middlesbrough and hit a Cleveland Police armed response car, killing the two officers.

In all, 17 people, including a 16-year-old boy, have been arrested by detectives investigating “serious and organised criminal activity” linked to the crash.

At Worthy’s father’s home in a quiet residential street in Acklam, a downstairs window was smashed, and bricks were scattered beneath it. An upstairs bedroom window of the red-brick semi was also broken.

One neighbour described hearing loud bangs at around 2am on Saturday, and another said the street had been full of police all weekend.

Cleveland Police had received reports of two cars being driven dangerously in the early hours of Saturday.

The first, believed to be a Volvo XC60, was seen ramming properties in the Middlesbrough area.

The BBC says it understands that Worthy’s father's home was rammed before the teenager and the four others set out in the Passat.

There is no suggestion that Worthy’s father was involved in criminal activity.

PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when the Passat hit their vehicle.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct told the BBC officers had been pursuing the Passat for almost seven minutes after it was connected to earlier alleged criminal activity, but that the pursuit was abandoned 10 seconds before the crash when it turned on to the dual carriageway.

PC Blades and PC Clough were not involved in the original pursuit but had been called to the area to help search for the Passat.

Two men have been charged during detectives’ investigations. Kai Beattie, 19, of Foxrush Court, Redcar, was remanded in custody by Teesside magistrates pending a crown court hearing, charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Cameron George, 26, of Micklow Close, Redcar, was remanded in custody to appear at Teesside Crown Court on 21 September, charged with drugs offences and possession of criminal property.