One of the teenagers who died alongside two Cleveland Police officers in a horrific A66 crash had been awaiting trial on allegations of assaulting a police officer and racially abusing another officer, it has emerged.

Makai Saddington, 18, was one of five people travelling in a Volkswagen Passat that crashed head-on into a marked police vehicle in the early hours of Saturday morning. The collision, near Middlesbrough, killed everyone inside both vehicles, including PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38.

Saddington, who had no fixed address, had appeared before Teesside magistrates on July 17 in connection with allegations involving two Cleveland Police officers. His case was adjourned to a later date, meaning the allegations had not been tested in court before his death.

He was accused of assaulting Sergeant Rooker and causing racially aggravated alarm or distress to PC Chowdhury. The circumstances surrounding those allegations have now become part of the wider picture being examined following the fatal crash.

The revelation comes as further details emerge about the final moments before the collision and about social media material apparently linked to some of the young men inside the Passat.

Police have said the vehicle was involved in a pursuit before officers abandoned the chase shortly before the deadly crash. The Passat then travelled onto the A66 in the wrong direction and collided with another marked police vehicle.

The officers inside that second vehicle were not part of the original pursuit, according to information released after the tragedy.

PC Blades and PC Clough were killed instantly in the devastating collision, along with Saddington and the four other occupants of the Volkswagen: Michael Robert Cahill, 23, Jacob Matusiak, 23, Theo Rae, 17, and Cole Robert Worthy, 17.

The deaths have left Cleveland Police mourning two officers who had gone to work expecting to return to their families.

The families of both officers have since released deeply personal tributes, describing the men as devoted family members who had dedicated their lives to helping others.

PC Clough’s relatives remembered him as a “hero with a fantastic sense of humour” who was always willing to step forward when someone needed help. They also highlighted his military service and described him as someone who had proudly served his country.

In a statement, his family said they were grateful for the enormous support shown by colleagues, friends and members of the public following his death.

PC Blades’ widow also paid an emotional tribute to her husband, describing him as her “beloved husband, my best friend, and the most devoted father to our two young boys.”

She said there were no words that could adequately capture the loss and remembered him as an adored son, brother and uncle. She also said their children would grow up knowing what an incredible father he had been.

The Cleveland Police Federation has launched an appeal to support the families of the two officers, with donations reportedly surpassing £245,000 within days of the crash.

The federation said both officers had left their families to serve their communities and protect the public, describing their deaths as the ultimate sacrifice.

Meanwhile, investigators are examining what happened before the Passat reached the A66.

The emergence of social media footage has added another dimension to the investigation. Several clips apparently linked to the young men show reckless driving and vehicles being driven at speed, while other material appears to show police pursuits.

One video posted in May appeared to show Matusiak behind the wheel of a vehicle travelling rapidly through a residential area. The footage showed the car moving through a housing estate before apparently crossing onto a green area.

Other clips associated with Saddington appear to show him being driven in an Audi while a police vehicle follows with its blue lights flashing.

Another video reportedly shows a green Nissan being driven before it was set alight. Separate images appear to show young men posing beside vehicles while wearing black balaclavas.

The material has prompted renewed discussion about the influence of social media on dangerous driving, particularly videos that appear designed to attract attention through increasingly reckless behaviour.

However, the existence of the videos does not by itself establish what happened during the final pursuit or why the Passat entered the A66 on the wrong side of the road. Those questions remain part of the investigation.

The crash has also drawn comparisons with another fatal collision in Ireland only days earlier.

Five teenagers were killed in County Kildare after a stolen BMW travelled the wrong way along the M9 motorway. The vehicle had reportedly been involved in a police pursuit and was travelling against traffic when it collided with a Hyundai carrying members of a family.

The five teenagers died in the Irish crash, while several occupants of the Hyundai suffered serious injuries.

The two incidents occurring so close together have fueled concern about an emerging social-media-driven culture in which young drivers film themselves engaging in dangerous behaviour or attempting to evade police.

Experts have warned that online attention can create a powerful incentive for young people to take increasingly serious risks. Videos showing high-speed driving can generate views, comments and online recognition, potentially making reckless behaviour appear glamorous or entertaining to others.

Professor Mary Aiken, a forensic cyber-psychology expert at the University of East London, has previously described the phenomenon as a situation in which young people effectively operate between the physical world and online world at the same time.

The concern is that the pursuit of online recognition can alter how participants perceive risk. A dangerous act that might otherwise be rejected can become content when the possibility of gaining attention is added to the equation.

But for the families of PC Blades and PC Clough, the consequences of the A66 crash are far removed from social-media trends.

Their loved ones are now preparing to say goodbye to two men who were described as brave officers committed to their work.

Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller has said the force remains focused on supporting the families and colleagues of the officers while the circumstances surrounding the collision are investigated.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct is also examining the circumstances surrounding the crash, including the police pursuit that preceded it.

That investigation will be crucial in establishing a complete timeline of events and determining what decisions were made in the minutes immediately before the collision.

For now, the deaths have left two families without husbands, fathers and loved ones, while the families of the five young men in the Passat are also grieving an extraordinary tragedy.

The investigation will continue to examine the pursuit, the circumstances surrounding the Passat’s movements and the events that led to the fatal collision.

As investigators work to establish exactly what happened, the tributes to PC Blades and PC Clough have served as a reminder of the human cost of the tragedy.

Both officers went to work to protect the public. Neither returned home. Their families, colleagues and the communities they served are now left to cope with a loss that will never be undone.