The rap sheets of the A66 joyriders: Four out of five had 37 prior convictions between them – including shoplifting, driving and drug offences
Four of the five young men who died after their car collided with a police vehicle in Teesside had a combined 37 previous convictions, Cleveland Police have confirmed. Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae and Cole Worthy, both 17, and Jakub Matusiak, 23, had all admitted a string of offences over the past three years, while Michael Cahill, 23, was the only occupant with no prior record. The crash on Saturday also killed two officers, PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, when the pursued Volkswagen Passat was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway near Middlesbrough and struck their marked armed response car.
The men's offending histories included assaults on police officers, shoplifting, vehicle theft, drug possession and driving without a licence or insurance, with Rae alone accounting for 19 separate offences. Police believe the group may have had links to organised crime, and have arrested 12 further people, including suspects held on suspicion of participating in an organised crime group, possessing firearms, and supplying Class A and B drugs. Investigators say the Passat was linked to a second vehicle, a Volvo XC60 with cloned plates, seen ramming properties in Middlesbrough shortly before the crash; a police federation representative also warned that young people "sensationalising" dangerous driving and baiting officers has become a growing problem.
- Four of five men killed in Teesside crash had 37 convictions between them
- Crash also killed two police officers, PC Blades and PC Clough
- 12 more people arrested amid suspected organised crime links
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Cleveland Police were called to a pursuit on Saturday that ended when a Volkswagen Passat, driven the wrong way along the A66 dual carriageway near Middlesbrough, crashed head-on into a marked armed police vehicle. All five young men in the Passat died, along with the two officers in the police car. The force has since released details of the occupants' criminal histories as part of the ongoing investigation into the crash.
The five men in the car were Makai Saddington, 18, Theo Rae and Cole Worthy, both 17, Jakub Matusiak, 23, and Michael Cahill, 23. The two officers killed were PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, both serving with Cleveland Police. Investigators are also looking into possible links between the group and wider organised crime activity in the area, including a second car allegedly involved in separate incidents shortly before the crash.
This matters because it raises questions about road safety during police pursuits, the risks faced by officers responding to such incidents, and the backgrounds of those involved, including any pattern of prior offending. Several other people have been arrested as the investigation continues, and the case has prompted wider comment from policing representatives about dangerous driving involving young people.