A teenager wearing a balaclava has been jailed for smashing a police van’s windscreen with a rock.
Cameron Coxall targeted a Cleveland Police scenes-of-crime vehicle travelling along Kings Road towards Ormesby Road in Middlesbrough on Tuesday, August 26.
The 19-year-old was a passenger on an unregistered motorbike that crossed to the wrong side of the road and headed straight for the vehicle.
Coxall, of Peirson Street, Redcar, threw a brick through the windscreen, leaving a large crack as the driver sat at the wheel.
Still wearing the balaclava, he rode away along the pavement towards Longlands Road and Cargo Fleet Road.
He was arrested during an operation targeting suspected members of serious and organised crime groups.
Coxall appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court last week and was jailed for four weeks for criminal damage.
He received a further four-week sentence for assaulting an emergency worker on Monday, June 15.
Coxall refused to go to his cell. As officers tried to return him, his jacket fell off; when it was handed back, he spat in the man’s eyes.
Following the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Dave Glass said: “Coxall put the driver, other road users and pedestrians at significant risk when he deliberately threw a brick at the windscreen.
“Before this, footage obtained by officers showed the motorbike weaving through traffic, travelling against the flow and riding on pavements.
“Thankfully, the driver and other road users were not harmed, although they were understandably shaken by what happened.
“It is clear Coxall has no thought or consideration for other members of the public. While the sentence may appear short, it does show that action will be taken by officers to gather evidence that will be brought to court.”
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Lucas Allen, 18, of Park Road, Hartlepool, was riding the motorbike.
He was charged with criminal damage, driving without due care and attention, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
Allen was given a community order, banned from driving for 34 months and ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work.
The latest Home Office figures showed Cleveland had the highest overall crime rate in England and Wales, at 123.4 offences per 1,000 people in the year to March 2026.