// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
No 'deliberate' contact to stop car in A66 crash
PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough were killed in the collision
No evidence of "tactical contact" or the use of a stinger has been found before the A66 crash which killed five young men and two police officers, an initial investigation has revealed.
The crash between a Volkswagen Passat and a marked Cleveland Police vehicle happened at South Bank, near Middlesbrough, on 22 August and followed a police pursuit which was abandoned.
The initial investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said there was no evidence police had initiated contact with the Passat.
However, director of engagement, Emily Barry, said it will take the IOPC months to conclude its full investigation due to the amount of information to review.
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, who had not been following the Passat, were killed.
The five people in the Passat were Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jakub Matusiak, 23, Makai Saddington, 18, and 17-year-olds Theo Rae and Cole Robert Worthy.
The five who died in the Passat were Jakub Matusiak, Makai Saddington, Theo Rae, Michael Robert Cahill and Cole Robert Worthy
The IOPC said the pursuit began at 03.33 BST and six minutes and 12 seconds later, the Passat slowed as it approached the A66, turned right and headed the wrong way down the dual carriageway.
The pursuing police driver did not follow the Passat along the wrong carriageway, turned off the blue warning lights and headed along the A66 on the right side of the road, the watchdog said.