British police have arrested 12 people as part of an investigation into organised criminal activity linked to a car crash in northeast England that killed seven people, including two police officers.
Cleveland Police said officers had received reports before Saturday’s crash of two cars being driven dangerously in the Middlesbrough area. One vehicle was reportedly seen ramming properties.
Police said both cars were using cloned number plates to avoid detection.
One of the vehicles later travelled the wrong way along a major road before colliding with an armed police response vehicle. All five occupants of the car and two police officers were killed.
Four of the five occupants in the civilian vehicle had previous convictions, according to police.
Nine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, were arrested across the Teesside area. They are being investigated for offences including firearm possession and involvement in an organised crime group.
“This has been a fast-moving and complex investigation, with significant links to serious and organised criminal activity,” Assistant Chief Constable Wayne Fox said.
Police said there was currently no evidence that the events leading to the crash had been deliberately filmed for TikTok or other social media platforms, following recent concerns in neighbouring Ireland over motorists allegedly staging dangerous wrong way driving for online attention.
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