Police arrest 12 after linking crash to organised crime
British police have arrested 12 individuals in connection with a fatal car crash in northeast England that killed seven people, including two police officers. The investigation links the incident to organized criminal activity involving cloned vehicles and property damage.
Why it matters
The incident highlights the dangers posed by organized crime groups and the risks faced by law enforcement in high-speed pursuits.
British police investigating a car crash in northeast England over the weekend that killed seven people, including two police officers, said they had arrested 12 people in a probe into organised criminal activity linked to the incident.
Five young men and teenagers who died after their vehicle hit a police car while travelling the wrong way along a dual carriageway may have had links to "serious and organised criminal activity", Cleveland police said.
They added 12 other people have been arrested over alleged criminality leading up to the collision in near Middlesbrough.
The alleged offences include possession of a firearm and participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
Four of the five young men in the car had previous criminal convictions, and were believed to be associated with another car which was seen ramming properties earlier that morning.
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