Armed police raid more homes in Middlesbrough after A66 crash, house fire & week of ‘gang war’ in tinderbox town

ARMED cops have raided more homes in Middlesbrough – as gangland violence ravages the tinderbox town in the wake of the A66 crash. Officers swarmed on Grangetown, North Yorkshire – just yards from the scene of a house fire that killed a seven-year-old girl and her aunt. Two houses were raided in the early hours of this morning Credit: BackGrid Armed officers swooped on the street Credit: BackGrid Police cars could be seen streaming down Burns Road during the raids in the early hours of this morning. The street was then cordoned off for roughly two hours as armed cops swooped on a number of homes. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Two men, aged 24 and 19, were arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. The arrests were made after a vehicle was rammed at around 11pm yesterday, prompting officers to search homes in the area. Police cars streamed down Burns Road in the crime-ridden estate Credit: BackGrid The road was cordoned off for around two hours while the raids were ongoing Credit: BackGrid Another man, 18, was arrested and subsequently charged with dangerous driving following an incident at around 4pm on Saturday, He appeared at Teesside Magistrates today and was remanded in custody. ACC Wayne Fox said: “We have said previously Cleveland Police will not stop pursuing those involved in serious and organised crime. “I hope these arrests further demonstrate that. Most read in The Sun “Our commitment to tackling criminal gangs whose intent is to harm people in our communities is a persistent focus for us. “I can assure the public that they [the arrests] will not be the last. “We are investigating around the clock and we thank the public, not only for their support and patience while we conduct numerous enquiries, but also for the information we are receiving. “We will always act on this information in our unwavering commitment to dismantle serious and organised crime in our area.” Armed cops swooped on a number of homes Credit: BackGrid Cleveland Police have so far arrested 24 people amid escalating tensions in the area Credit: BackGrid It means Cleveland Police have so far arrested 27 people after two officers and five young men were killed in a fatal crash on the A66 last Saturday. The horror smash has sparked a wave of violence in Middlesbrough, with two hundred specialist cops being drafted in to restore order. Local MP Andy McDonald previously said residents feel “trapped in their own homes” and don’t feel safe enough to go to the shops. On Thursday, cars were torched at a twisted vigil held near Haswell, County Durham, for one of the joyriders killed in the wrong-way crash. Yobs paying tribute to Michael Robert Cahill, 23, also released balloons into the air after he and four others died in the A66 smash. The four other occupants of the VW Passat who died were Theo Rae, 17, Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Jacob Matusiak, 23, and Makai Saddington, 18. They had driven the wrong way down the dual carriageway, crashing into a police car and killing PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38. Sources said the gang was hell-bent on revenge after rivals rammed the home belonging to Theo’s mum just minutes before. His nan’s home is also believed to have been rammed, along with a property owned by Cole’s dad. In total, three properties linked to the gang were targeted by rivals in a Volvo XC60 in the early hours of last Saturday. In response, the youths pursued the Volvo in their Passat, before they were spotted by marked police cars who immediately gave chase. The pursuit lasted for seven minutes before the gang entered the A66 on the wrong side of the road in a bid to shake them off. Chasing officers abandoned their pursuit, but 10 seconds later, the Passat collided head-on with a car being driven by PC Blades and PC Clough. All seven died instantly in the crash. The fallout saw a gangland feud which had been bubbling up for months burst out into the open. Sources say homes have been rammed for months as part of a tit-for-tat campaign involving rivals amid a gangland feud over “drugs and money“. And, in an unrelated incident on Wednesday, a woman and seven-year-old girl were killed in a house fire. Young Valentina Foster and her aunt Natalie McDonald, 34, tragically died in the blaze at 5.23am. Her distraught gran Valerie Foster, seen hugging the youngster in a family photo, said: “Life is so cruel. My beautiful granddaughter, Valentina.”