Cleveland Police say they arrested a 20-year-old from Walsall after footage emerged from Middlesbrough's win over Wolves at the Riverside Stadium on Saturday. The arrest was made on suspicion of a public order offence, after images appeared to show a man holding up a mobile phone with the message "Police Killed Your Own".

Chris Hilton, Cleveland Police's dedicated football officer, said: "Working closely with West Midlands Police, we were quickly able to identify and arrest a suspect in connection with an incident involving footage of potentially alarming and distressing behaviour captured during the match on Saturday."

The police response

Hilton added: "We began the investigation into this incident immediately after we were made aware of this footage following the match."

He also said: "We will always deal with incidents of this nature quickly and robustly to make sure the message is loud and clear that anyone attending a football match should be able to do so in a safe and enjoyable environment."

The club context is plain enough. Middlesbrough won 1-0 at the Riverside, while Wolves finished 20th in the Premier League with 20 points last season.

The message shown

There is a small wording dispute over the phone screen, with some reporting it as "Police Killed Your Own" and others as "police killed your own". The substance of the case is the same either way, because the footage is being treated as a public order issue linked to an offensive message shown during the match.

The A66 crash killed two police officers and five young men in the early hours of 22 August. An official investigation later found police did not use a stinger or initiate tactical contact before the head-on crash between a marked police vehicle and a VW Passat.

Hilton said police would "take enforcement action and investigate anyone suspected of trying to cause disruption." The arrest means the case now sits with Cleveland Police after a match that should have ended as a routine home win.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →