Birmingham Live
·23 Aug 2026
Police pursuit was aborted seconds before fatal A66 crash as tributes flood in
A Volkswagen Passat believed to be using cloned number plates was pursued by Cleveland Police for almost seven minutes before officers aborted the chase after it entered the A66 on the wrong side of the carriageway near South Bank. About 10 seconds later, the Passat collided with a marked armed response vehicle, killing its five occupants—Cole Robert Worthy, Theo Rae, Makai Saddington, Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak—and Cleveland Police officers Matthew Blades and Tom Clough. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the incident and has obtained officers’ accounts, the incident log and in-car footage. Friends, football clubs and community members have paid tribute, with vigils and balloon releases planned for the victims.