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Police Blast 'Unacceptable Behaviour' After Cars Torched at A66 Crash Vigil

On Thursday evening, Durham Constabulary responded to a gathering in Haswell where a large crowd released balloons and torched five cars during a memorial event for A66 crash victim Michael Cahill.
The memorial followed last Saturday's fatal A66 crash, which killed seven people including police officers PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough, alongside Cahill and four other young men.
Assistant Chief Constable Jon McAdam defended letting the vehicles burn, stating "the field was contained and it was assessed there was no immediate risk to wider public safety." Labour MP Andy McDonald described the unrest as "terrorism."
More than 200 extra police officers were deployed across Teesside to support Cleveland Police amid a series of violent incidents and rising public fear in the area.
This unrest coincides with a fatal house fire in Grangetown on Wednesday that claimed the lives of Natalie McDonald and seven-year-old Valentina Foster, with police launching murder investigations into the incident.

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Tributes Towards A66 Joyriders Worsen as a Mob of Youths Set Fire To Several Cars Near Haswell, County Durham

Five vehicles were set ablaze in a field near Haswell, County Durham, during a memorial gathering for 23-year-old Michael Cahill, one of the men killed in the fatal A66 wrong-way crash. County Durham authorities have condemned scenes of intense public disorder after the cars were deliberately set on fire near Haswell during a memorial gathering on 27 August. The chaotic Thursday evening gathering was reportedly organised as a tribute to Cahill, …

36 minutes ago·United Kingdom

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