A case with a disturbing past… A teenager involved in the A66 crash that killed two police officers and five others was reportedly awaiting trial over allegations of racially abusing and assaulting officers. The devastating crash has now brought fresh scrutiny to the earlier case — and the detail about what had already been alleged against the teenager before the fatal journey is raising even more questions… 👇
**‘RACE HATE’ PROBE: Teen in A66 crash that killed two cops and five joyriders was awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting officers**
One of the five young men who died when a Volkswagen Passat smashed head-on into a police car on the A66 near Middlesbrough was awaiting trial for racially abusing and assaulting Cleveland Police officers, it has emerged.
Makai Saddington, 18, was among the occupants of the Passat that was travelling the wrong way along the dual carriageway in the early hours of Saturday 22 August 2026 when it collided with a marked armed-response vehicle. The crash killed every person involved: Saddington and four others in the Passat — Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, and Jacob Matusiak, 23 — along with PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.
Court records show that Saddington had appeared before Teesside Magistrates’ Court on 17 July over charges of assaulting Sergeant Rooker of Cleveland Police and causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to PC Chowdhury. The alleged offences were reported to have taken place in June. The case had been adjourned and was still pending at the time of the fatal collision.
The revelation adds a further layer of complexity to an already devastating tragedy that has left two police families grieving and a community struggling to process the loss of seven lives in a single, catastrophic moment.
**How the crash unfolded**
Just after 3.30am on Saturday, Cleveland Police officers began pursuing a Volkswagen Passat that had been linked to several suspicious incidents and was believed to be displaying cloned number plates. An automatic number-plate recognition camera had flagged the vehicle.
According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the pursuit lasted just under seven minutes and took place through residential streets in the Middlesbrough area. Ring-doorbell footage later released showed the Passat racing at high speed along Lime Road in Teesville at approximately 3.36am, with police vehicles following, blue lights flashing. Residents described the noise as terrifying. One local, Ellie Westerman, 24, said the car appeared to be travelling between 80 and 100 mph down the narrow street. “The noise woke me and I shot out of bed… you could feel the vibration in the house,” she recalled. “It was frightening that cars were being driven at that speed through a residential area and it’s tragic people have ended up dying.”
When the Passat entered the A66 and began travelling against the flow of traffic, officers aborted the pursuit. Approximately ten seconds later, at about 3.39am, the vehicle collided head-on with a different marked police armed-response car that was travelling in the correct direction. That second police vehicle, carrying PC Blades and PC Clough, had been in the area to assist with the search for the Passat. All seven people were pronounced dead at the scene near South Bank.
The IOPC has opened an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the crash, a standard procedure whenever a police pursuit is involved in a fatal incident.
**The officers who died**
PC Matthew Blades, 37, was a husband and father of two young boys. He had recently taken on a coaching role with Seaton Carew FC’s under-sevens team, the same side in which his own son played. His wife released a deeply personal tribute, describing him as “my beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys.” She added that “no words will ever feel like the right words to honour our Matt.”
PC Tom Clough, 38, was a former soldier who had previously served with the British Transport Police. His family remembered him as their “hero” — a man with a “fantastic” sense of humour who was always ready to help others. Colleagues and senior officers have described both men as dedicated professionals who went to work each day to protect their communities. Cleveland Chief Constable Victoria Fuller called them “brave officers” and said the force and the wider community were devastated by the loss.
**The five in the Passat**
The young men who died in the Passat have also been mourned by relatives and friends. Social-media tributes and local messages painted pictures of close friendships, particularly between the younger members of the group. Yet attention has also focused on online activity linked to some of those involved.
Footage associated with Saddington, posted months before the crash, appeared to show him as a passenger in a high-speed police chase through a housing estate. In one clip an Audi is seen being driven at speed while a police car follows with lights activated; the vehicle then appears to cut across a grassy playing field. Other material linked to the wider group showed cars being driven recklessly and, in one instance, a vehicle being set alight. Images of young men posing in cars while wearing black balaclavas have also circulated.
These clips have fuelled wider debate about a growing trend of young people filming police pursuits and dangerous driving and posting the material online for views and status. Authorities and campaigners have repeatedly warned that such content glamorizes risk and can encourage copycat behaviour with deadly consequences.
**Background on Saddington’s pending case**
The charges Saddington faced were serious. Assaulting a police officer is treated as an attack on the justice system itself, while the racially aggravated element elevated the gravity of the alleged offence against PC Chowdhury. The fact that the case was still active at the time of his death means the allegations were never tested in court. No conviction was recorded.
Nevertheless, the disclosure that one of those killed in the wrong-way collision was already before the courts for violence and racial abuse directed at officers has intensified public discussion about repeat offending, bail decisions, and the challenges police face when dealing with individuals who appear to show little regard for the law or for the safety of others.
**Wider context and investigation**
The A66 crash has once again thrown a spotlight on the dangers of cloned plates, high-speed joyriding, and the difficulties of policing pursuits in urban and semi-urban environments. Officers must balance the need to intercept potentially dangerous vehicles against the risk of escalating a situation that could endanger members of the public. In this case the decision to abort the pursuit once the Passat entered the dual carriageway the wrong way was, according to the available information, taken in an attempt to reduce immediate risk. The subsequent collision with a second police vehicle that was simply assisting the search underscores how quickly events can turn catastrophic.
The IOPC inquiry will examine the decision-making of the pursuing officers, the intelligence available about the Passat, the use of the armed-response vehicle, and the sequence of events in the final minutes before impact. Cleveland Police have appealed for anyone with relevant information or further footage to come forward.
For the families of PC Blades and PC Clough, the focus remains on remembering two men who died while performing their duty. Floral tributes have been laid near the scene and at police stations. Colleagues have spoken of the profound shock felt across the force. For the families of the five young men in the Passat, grief is compounded by the knowledge that their loved ones died in circumstances that have drawn intense public scrutiny and, in some quarters, little sympathy.
The tragedy on the A66 is a stark illustration of how quickly a night of reckless driving can end in irreversible loss. Seven lives were extinguished in seconds. Two police officers who left home to protect their community never returned. Five young men, one of whom was already facing serious allegations of violence and racial abuse against officers, also lost their lives.
As investigators continue their work and the community begins the long process of mourning, the questions raised by the crash — about pursuit policy, about the influence of social-media “joyride” culture, about the management of offenders on bail, and about the human cost of dangerous driving — will remain in the public conversation for a long time to come.
What is already clear is the scale of the human cost. Two families have lost husbands, fathers and sons who wore the uniform. Five other families have lost sons and brothers. And a stretch of dual carriageway in Teesside will forever be associated with one of the darkest nights in recent local policing history.
