A memorial for one of the men killed in the A66 crash has divided opinion after masked bikers set off flares while police watched on.
Hundreds of people turned up to remember Jakub Matusiak, 23, one of the five men who were killed inside the Volkswagen Passat near Middlesbrough on Saturday morning.
It had driven down the wrong way on the A66 seconds after a police chase had been called off before it smashed head-on into another police vehicle, killing PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.
People gathered on a field in the South Bank neighbourhood of Middlesbrough, where the fatal crash happened, to release balloons, many in Matusiak’s favourite colour orange.
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Around 20 masked young men on scooters and quad bikes rode around the field and set off flares with colourful smoke filling the air.
One woman in the crowd insisted that the 23-year-old was a ‘lovely, caring lad’ and ‘not some scumbag who should just be written off and forgotten,’ referring to coverage of the five men.
Matusiak, Theo Rae, 17, Cole Worthy, 17, and Makai Saddington, 18, are said to have several convictions and charges, including motoring offences.
Their friend, Michael Robert Cahill, 23, was also killed in the crash.
The woman continued: ‘It was an accident that those police officers died, they weren’t trying to kill anyone and they lost their own lives but they’ve just been written off as if they don’t matter.
‘The number of people who have come out for Jakub today should show you that they do matter, they were loved and they will be missed.’
Officers from Cleveland Police’s team that late PC Blades and PC Clough were part of observed the gathering nearby.
One grandmother living near the field appeared dismayed over the celebration.
The 58-year-old said: ‘What must they be thinking right now? This is nothing but a mockery of the lives of those two policemen.
‘I’ve watched them walking down there drinking and smoking weed and razzing about on their motorbikes. There’s nothing here to celebrate.’
Posters were shared online for a separate balloon release for Worthy today in Trimdon Park, Middlesbrough.
A fundraiser for the killed officers has reached over £685,000 within a day of its launch.
The A66 crash and another deadly incident on the M9 in County Kildare, Ireland, involving young joyriders have raised questions about dangerous driving videos and social media.
Some of the men involved in both crashes are said to have previously posted clips showing them driving recklessly.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has labelled the glorification of dangerous driving as ‘unacceptable’ and said those sharing footage are ‘doing something that’s truly reprehensible.’
Cleveland Police said it has arrested 12 people following the A66 crash, including for firearm possession and participating in an organised crime group.
The Volkswagen Passat, with the five men inside, had cloned number plates on, the force said.
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