Cleveland Police have confirmed they received reports that a car had crashed into a property on Steele Crescent, near Middlesbrough, as the force continues to probe links to organised crime
Residents woke up to “scary” scenes as a house was allegedly rammed by a car in an area in mourning after a horror crash on the A66 killed seven and close the the scene where a fire killed two people near Middlesbrough.
An address on Steele Crescent, a stone’s throw from the devastating blaze in which Natalie McDonald, 34, and her niece Valentina Foster, seven, died yesterday (August 27), has reportedly been attacked overnight.
The front garden wall of the address was rammed by a car in the early hours of this morning (August 27). Pictures show the damage caused, with bricks and a metal fence strewn across the grass.
Cleveland Police have confirmed an incident occurred at an address on Steele Crescent shortly after half past midnight today. The force said they received a number of calls reporting a vehicle had crashed into a wall.
Once again, the police have stated “it has not yet been confirmed whether this incident is linked to wider organised crime”.
A neighbour said: “It happened at about 12.40am. My daughter saw it. She said a car kept going backwards and forwards into the wall over and over.
“People on the outside think it’s scary but it doesn’t bother me. I’ve grown up here and it’s normal. There’s always something going on here.”
Speaking to The Mirror, another neighbour said: “There were a massive series of bangs at 1am. A jeep-type car slammed into the front wall and repeatedly drove over it until the wall was smashed down.
“It has been going on for months in South Bank and Grangetown. It’s scary and you wonder what’s going to happen next. We’ve already seen a little kid killed down the road, what has to happen before people stop all this?”
The incident comes a day after police launched a murder probe after the Natalie and Valentina were killed in the blaze on Birchington Avenue, Grangetown, Middlesbrough.
Two men, aged 23 and 31, remain in police custody after they were arrested on suspicion of murder following the blaze.
It is unknown whether the fire is related to the devastating crash on the A66 in the town on Saturday (August 22) which claimed the lives of seven, including two officers, but police have not ruled this out.
The crash was between a VW Passat, which was heading in the wrong direction on the dual-carriageway, and a marked armed response vehicle.
Pc Matthew Blades, 37, and Pc Tom Clough, 38, were the officers killed. Those in the Passat were Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak. They were pronounced dead at the scene at South Bank.
The Passat had been pursued by police following an earlier incident in which a house in the Acklam area of Middlesbrough, linked to Worthy, was rammed by a vehicle. The pursuit was aborted when the Passat went the wrong way down the A66.
Speaking about today’s incident at the property on Steele Crescent, local policing Superintendent Emily Harrison said: “The property was empty at the time and we have not currently received any reports of any injuries.
“Officers are conducting enquiries to establish the circumstances surrounding this incident. Our investigation is in its early stages and it has not yet been confirmed whether this incident is linked to wider organised crime.
“We will continue to have a pro-active police presence in the area and work to identify those responsible.
“We would also appeal for anyone with information or any relevant doorbell, dash cam or private CCTV footage to contact Cleveland Police via the website or by phoning 101. Please quote ref 171649.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.