Welsh police referred to watchdog after CCTV shows officers following bike before fatal crash

CCTV has been released that shows two people on a bike being followed by a police van in Ely before a crash took place in which two teenage boys died.

Originally, South Wales Police denied that officers were pursuing the boys, however, now it claims that it is aware of a video on social media which shows the two boys being pursued by police officers, the BBC reports.

Chief Superintendent Martyn Stone, Divisional Commander for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan explained that whilst the footage shows a van following two people near the area where the collision took place, there were no officers on Snowden Road at that time.

He also added that South Wales Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct following the release of the video to make sure the situation can receive “independent scrutiny”.

This comes as the two teenage boys who died in an off-road bike crash in Ely on the same day have been named locally as Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans.

Kyrees, 16, and Harvey, 15, died after their electric bike crashed on Snowden Road, Cardiff. However, shortly after police arrived at the scene of the collision, a riot involving roughly 100 to 150 people broke out. The reason for the riot has not yet been confirmed by the police and it is not known if the two events are linked.

CCTV footage appears to show a police van following two people on a bike in Ely moments before a crash in which two teenagers died

But police said there were no police vehicles on Snowden Road – where the crash was – at the time it happenedhttps://t.co/cnowLHuKpi pic.twitter.com/0sD4RGQ2Js

— BBC Wales News (@BBCWalesNews) May 23, 2023

Kyrees’ mother, Belinda Sullivan, took to social media last night to explain that she could not reach her son due to the riots taking place, saying: “My son is still laying on the floor due to this riot. I’m sat at home heartbroken, there are two familys (sic) broken right now.

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“I just want to see my son and I can’t because of this riot that have (sic) happened. Pls 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.”

Chief Superintendent Martyn Stone, Divisional Commander for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan has released a statement on behalf of South Wales Police, which is as follows: “South Wales Police is continuing to investigate a fatal road traffic collision and serious disorder which happened in the Ely area of Cardiff last night.

“At 6.03pm yesterday we received a report of a serious collision on Snowden Road which tragically resulted in the deaths of two teenage boys. The families of the two boys are being supported by family liaison officers. Our thoughts are with both families at this terrible time.

“An electric bike has been seized from the scene and enquiries are on-going to establish the exact circumstances.

“We have received CCTV footage which shows a police vehicle following a bike just prior to 6pm. This footage is being recovered as part of the investigation which will assist us in piecing together the circumstances leading up to the collision. The families are being kept up to date.

“We can confirm that following investigations carried out so far, that when then collision occurred, there were no police vehicles on Snowden Road. A police vehicle in Grand Avenue responded to the report of a collision, attended the area and the officers performed CPR.

“The investigation has involved studying CCTV and tracking data from the police vehicle. At this stage, we do not believe that any other vehicle was involved in the collision. During the disorder, 15 officers were injured requiring medical attention. Eleven went to hospital, four were treated at the scene.

“Our focus now is to fully investigate the circumstances of the collision and the appalling scenes that followed. We are appealing for witnesses, information, and footage from mobile phones and social media.

“We acknowledge the impact last night’s disorder had on local residents who were understandably very frightened. They have our assurances that we will be doing all we can to arrest those responsible. A number of people have already been arrested and more arrests will follow.

“We are extremely grateful for the support from the community and urge anyone with information to contact South Wales Police.

“South Wales Police has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to ensure the matter receives independent scrutiny.”

Featured image via Facebook.

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