Police were on standby last night fearing more riots after CCTV emerged of officers following two boys on an electric bike moments before the teens died in a crash.
South Wales Police referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the deaths of Kyrees Sullivan, 15, and Harvey Evans, 16, in the Ely area of Cardiff at around 6pm on Monday.
Their deaths triggered a night of riots as rumours of a police chase spread on social media.
Around 150 people, many of them children, clashed with police, setting light to cars and throwing missiles and fireworks, injuring 15 officers.
Police denied they had been pursuing the boys, but CCTV footage emerged that appeared to show a police van behind an electric bike around 900m from the crash scene moments before it happened.
Cardiff Chief Superintendent Martyn Stone said the footage was being examined, but said: “When the collision occurred there were no police vehicles on Snowden Road.”
The IOPC last night said it would “assess” whether to carry out an “independent investigation”.
At the height of the violence, Kyrees’ mother begged rioters to stop so her son’s body could be taken from the scene. Belinda Sullivan posted: “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’s 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.”
Scenes livestreamed on YouTube showed young people throwing fireworks and other missiles at a line of police officers with riot shields blocking one end of the street.
One person was attacked because rioters thought they were an undercover police officer, according to a senior officer at the scene. Shortly before midnight, a car was set on fire, while a second vehicle was then overturned and also torched.
Jane Palmer, owner of one of the cars , said she and her family watched from a window as rioters set fire to her Ford Focus. Ms Palmer said: “I’m disabled so now I am trapped without my car. Why are they doing this? It’s just silly now.”
Another resident said: “It was very scary. There was a lot of people. Lots of children, I was very surprised at how many children and how many adults encouraging them. They were throwing stuff at the police.”
Ellen Morgan said: “I’ve never seen anything like this in the six years I’ve lived here. I’d just come back from the vets and was told I couldn’t even get outside my house. As I pulled in, everyone started running towards me. It was very, very scary. I had my children with me and a sick dog.”
Another resident, Alison, said: “I live on my own and my mum and dad live next door. It was frightening. They were children. It (the rioters) was kids, 11-year-olds onwards.
“One policeman had to be dragged on to a pavement because he was injured.”
Bridy Bool said she knew Harvey. She said: “Harvey was such a young boy, a sociable boy, he had loads of friends and he loved motorbikes and football. He was best friends with Kyrees and were into the same things. It was not unusual for them to be together.. There are videos going around that the police were chasing them.”
But the police insisted officers had not been there until after the accident and had stayed on the scene to manage “large-scale disorder”.
Alun Michael, South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “It would appear there were rumours, and those rumours became rife, of a police chase, which wasn’t the case. I think it illustrates the speed with which rumours can run around with the activity that goes on on social media nowadays.”
Chief Supt Stone said of 15 the officers injured, 11 had needed hospital treatment. Several arrests had been made.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Travis said: “These are scenes we do not expect to see in our communities, particularly a close-knit community such as Ely. We received a large number of calls from residents who were understandably frightened by the actions of this large group who were intent on causing crime and disorder. The level of violence towards emergency services and the damage to property and vehicles was totally unacceptable.”
The riot was also condemned by politicians. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ’s official spokesman said: “The reports of disorder, violence, arson and specifically attacks on police officers are appalling.”
Cardiff Council’s leader, Huw Thomas, said: “My thoughts and deepest sympathies this morning are with the families of the young people who died in the road collision yesterday. This is a tragic event and they, and we, need to understand what happened and why.”
Welsh Conservative Leader Andrew RT Davies said: “There is simply no excuse for this kind of disorder.”
Tributes to the boys were posted on social media as people offered the families their condolences.
A friend of both boys posted: “You will forever be missed by everyone. You were the funniest people I could ever meet. You didn’t deserve to get taken so young.”
