Footage shows police van following e-bike boys
South Wales force refers itself to watchdog over fatal crash that led to a riot in Cardiff ’s streets
‘We all came up to pay our respects and [the police] tried hitting us with batons, so we reacted’
TWO teenagers on an electric bike were followed by a police van moments before a fatal crash that led to a night of rioting in Cardiff, CCTV shows.
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and his best friend Harvey Evans, 15, died in the collision in the Ely area of the Welsh capital on Monday evening.
South Wales Police has now referred itself to the independent watchdog over the incident but insisted there were no police vehicles on the road where the crash happened.
Following the crash, widespread disorder, which involved up to 150 people, began after rumours started circulating on social media suggesting the teenagers had been killed in a police chase.
Alun Michael, South Wales’ police and crime commissioner, appeared to dismiss the speculation yesterday by saying suggestions the pair were being chased by police at the time was “false”.
However, the CCTV footage, which was filmed one minute before the crash at 5.59pm on Frank Road in Ely 900m away from the scene, has now been verified by the BBC.
The footage shows two young men on an off-road bike with a police van just one second behind.
At a police press conference last night, the force said it would be referring itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Chief Superintendent Martyn Stone, Divisional Commander for Cardiff & The Vale, said: “We have received footage that shows a police vehicle following a bike at just prior to 6pm.
“This footage will assist us in piecing together the circumstances leading up to the collision. The families are being kept up to date. We can confirm the following investigations have been carried out so far and when the collision occurred, there were no police vehicles on Snowden Road.
“A police vehicle on Grand Avenue responded to the collision, attended the area and officers performed CPR.”
One local resident said: “Those boys were chased – it is all there on video for us all to see. That is why people took to the streets. Loads of people have seen it and the police are just trying to cover themselves.”
Specially-trained public order officers with riot shields were deployed to deal with the situation, including some from neighbouring police forces, as several vehicles were set alight, property was damaged and officers were injured.
A friend of the victims, who did not wish to be named, said the two boys “were best friends” who were well known in the tight-knit Ely community for riding dirt bikes around the area.
Scenes being live-streamed on Facebook during the violence showed balaclava-clad gangs of people throwing fireworks and other missiles at a line of officers with riot shields who were blocking one end of the street.
The man hosting the video online said: “We all came up to pay our respects and [the police] tried hitting us with batons, so we reacted.”
At the height of the violence, Kyrees’ heartbroken mother, Belinda Sullivan, appealed on social media for the rioters to stop and said she was unable to reach her child to take him to hospital.
She said: “My son is still laying on the floor due to this riot. I’m sat at home heartbroken. There are two families broken right now. I just want to see my son and I can’t because of this riot that have happened. I beg you all to stop and let my son be moved to hospital so I can see him. We need to see our sons.”
Birdy Bool, a friend of the 15-year-old victim’s mother, said the boys had been riding a Sur-ron e-bike without helmets. She said that he had eaten dinner with his family 10 minutes before he died, adding: “They were best friends, they were into the same sort of thing.”
Shortly before midnight, a car was set on fire, while a second vehicle was overturned and also torched as a police helicopter hovered overhead. People also attempted to drive a car into the line of police officers.
Police, including officers on horseback, were seen outside Ely police station in the early hours after suggestions it could be targeted.
South Wales Police said a “number of arrests” had been made and 15 officers were injured in the disorder.
Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said the scenes were “appalling and completely unacceptable”.
Mark Drakeford, the First Minister of Wales, said he was “very concerned” by the “upsetting reports”.