Middlesbrough A66 crash no 'direct contact' from police

A crash on the A66 at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, on August 22 resulted in the deaths of two police officers, PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, and five young men in a Passat. The initial investigation by the IOPC found no evidence of tactical contact or use of a stinger by police before the collision, which followed a police pursuit that was abandoned. The Passat slowed down, turned right, and headed the wrong way before colliding with the police vehicle, with no direct police contact involved. The investigation is ongoing to determine the vehicles' speeds at the time of the crash.