“THEIR SON IS NOT TO BLAME!” A66 FAMILY’S CLAIM PUTS POLICE PURSUIT UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT AS NEW DETAILS EMERGE

“THEIR SON IS NOT TO BLAME!”

The family of one of the five young men who died in the devastating A66 crash has questioned the police response, arguing that the pursuit should be closely examined to determine whether the tragedy could have been prevented.

Their comments have triggered a fierce debate.

But as investigators reconstruct the final minutes of the incident, new details about what happened before the collision are now coming into focus.

THE PURSUIT LASTED LESS THAN SEVEN MINUTES

According to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, Cleveland Police received intelligence about several incidents linked to a Volkswagen Passat.

Officers later spotted the vehicle and an armed response vehicle began pursuing it.

Police vehicle footage shows the pursuit lasted just under seven minutes before the Passat entered the A66 at South Bank travelling against the flow of traffic.

At that point, officers aborted the pursuit.

The police vehicle involved in the pursuit continued on the correct side of the carriageway.

THEN, JUST 10 SECONDS LATER…

The IOPC says that approximately 10 seconds after the pursuit ended, the Passat collided with another police vehicle.

That second police vehicle was not involved in the pursuit. It was in the area assisting officers searching for the Passat, which was believed to be using cloned number plates.

All five people inside the Passat and the two police officers in the marked vehicle died.

The five young men were identified as Michael Cahill, Theo Rae, Cole Worthy, Jacob Matusiak and Makai Saddington. The two officers were PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough.

THE FAMILY WANTS ANSWERS

For the family questioning the police response, the fact that a pursuit took place before the collision raises difficult questions.

Could the pursuit have been handled differently?

What information did officers have at each stage?

And what exactly happened during those final seconds?

Those questions are now part of an independent investigation.

However, investigators have not concluded that the police pursuit caused the collision.

NEW DETAILS — BUT NO FINAL ANSWER YET

The IOPC has obtained officers’ initial accounts, the incident log and in-car footage.

Investigators are continuing to collect and analyse additional evidence.

That means claims circulating online that a single piece of “new evidence” has completely cleared one side or changed public opinion should be treated cautiously.

The official investigation is still underway.

SEVEN FAMILIES ARE WAITING

Whatever the eventual findings, seven families are now facing an unimaginable loss.

Two police officers died while responding to a dangerous situation.

Five young men also died inside the Passat.

The most important question now is not which side wins the argument online.

It is what actually happened during those final minutes — and whether anything could have changed the outcome.

Until the IOPC completes its investigation, the full answer remains unknown.