Cars set on fire at balloon release vigil for one of the men killed in A66 crash
Cars were set on fire at a balloon release vigil for one of the young men who was killed in the A66 crash.
On Saturday, five young men and police officers PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were killed when a Volkswagen Passat being driven the wrong way on the A66 hit a response vehicle.
The five men have been identified as Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jakub Matusiak.
On Thursday (28 August), a balloon release vigil was held for Cahill, with his mum posting on social media calling for 'bikes, jeeps, cars and quads’ to give her son the ‘send off he deserved’.
Advert
But things descended into chaos with at least five cars being set alight in the field near Haswell, County Durham.
In the clips, people can be seen letting off blue balloons and flares, while others showing vehicles burning and people revving their engines.
Some of the videos shared online were captioned: “Rest in peace Micky”.
After the crowds left, footage showed at least five cars burnt out on the grass.
According to the Daily Mail, County Durham and Darlington Fire Service responded to the incident.
LADbible has contacted County Durham and Darlington Fire Service for comment.
Last night’s gathering came after hundreds of extra police officers were drafted into nearby Middlesbrough following a ‘spate of deadly incidents’ in the Teesside town.
Around 200 extra officers have been deployed to help Cleveland Police after a number of violent incidents which followed a head-on crash on the A66, which killed seven people, including two police officers, on Saturday.
The extra officers have come from a number of forces including the National Crime Agency and are assisting as police continue to investigate the blaze in Grangetown, near Middlesbrough.
Police have not ruled out a link between the crash and a fatal house fire a mile away from the site, which claimed the lives of a seven-year-old girl and her aunt on Wednesday.
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East MP Andy McDonald said the incidents had left people in the area scared to go outside.
“People are saying that they are going to their shops and not feeling safe to do so and feeling trapped in their own homes,” he told Times Radio.
“That is just unacceptable.
“This is terrorism and we’ve got to have an appropriate response to deal with the people who are causing such mayhem in our communities and to allow people to lead their peaceful lives.”
Anna Turley, MP for Redcar said in a post on Facebook: “I know how worried people are, and understandably people want to know what is being done.
“There is a significant response under way, with additional officers and resources being brought into our area and agencies working together around the clock.”
She added: “People have a right to feel safe in their homes and in their communities. That is our absolute priority.”
Following the A66 crash, police have arrested 17 people, charging two of them and bailing the others, as part of investigations into alleged organised crime.
Meanwhile, two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the fire which killed Natalie McDonald, 34, and seven-year-old Valentina Foster and injured four others.
McDonald’s devastated brother Josh Kirton told reporters: “My sister was not involved with anything to do with gangs, or the (crash on the) A66.
“That’s what makes this so senseless.
“People think they can do whatever they like.
“There’s some terrible people in the world and now my sister and Valentina have gone.”
Claire Reid