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The watchdog says a pursuing officer did not follow the Passat onto the wrong carriageway before the collision that killed seven people.
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The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) says its initial investigation found no evidence that police initiated contact with a Volkswagen Passat before it collided with a marked Cleveland Police car on the A66 near Middlesbrough. Seven people died in the crash at South Bank on 22 August. [1]
The IOPC said a police pursuit began at 03:33 BST. Six minutes and 12 seconds later, the Passat entered the wrong carriageway of the A66. The pursuing officer did not follow it, switched off the car’s blue lights and continued on the correct side of the road. About 17 seconds later, the Passat collided with a police car carrying PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. Neither officer had been pursuing the Passat. [1]
Both officers died, along with the five people in the Passat: Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy, both 17. IOPC engagement director Emily Barry said there was no suggestion the collision resulted from direct police contact and that officers had not used a stinger to try to stop the Passat. [1]
A forensic investigator is still determining both vehicles’ speeds at impact. The IOPC has commissioned reports on the collision and police pursuit procedures, and Barry said the full investigation would take months. [1]
1 listed sources · explore evidence, limitations and provenance.
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