Riots which led to cars being torched and missiles thrown at police officers started following a crash which killed two teenage boys, it has been confirmed. South Wales Police said the violent scenes erupted in the Ely area of Cardiff shortly after 6pm following reports of a serious crash yesterday (May 22).
Officers were called out to the incident on Snowden Road and ended up remaining there until the early hours as riots broke out. Rumours surfaced saying the crash involved a "police chase", but a statement from the force this morning (May 23) said the collision "had already occurred" when officers arrived at the scene.
During the rioting, cars were set alight and flipped over while footage livestreamed from the area shows fireworks and other missiles being thrown at police officers, with a number of them getting injured in the process. The Press Association news agency reports a person was attacked on the street as they were believed to be an undercover police office.
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Mounted police officers were spotted outside Ely police station during the early hours due to fears it could be targeted by rioters. A statement from the force said: "South Wales Police is investigating a serious road traffic collision and scenes of violent disorder which happened in the Ely area of Cardiff last night (Monday, May 22).
"Shortly after 6pm yesterday we received a report of a serious road traffic collision on Snowden Road which resulted in the deaths of two teenage boys. Police responded to this collision which had already occurred when officers arrived, and they remained on scene to manage a large-scale disorder until the early hours of this morning.
"Specially-trained public order officers were also deployed, including officers from neighbouring police forces. Several vehicles were set alight, property was damaged and police officers were injured during the incident."
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Travis added: "First and foremost our thoughts are with families of the two boys who have died following the collision in Ely and with those affected by the disorder which followed. 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.
"Our focus now is to fully investigate the circumstances of the collision and the appalling scenes that followed. Arrests have already been made in connection with the disorder and more will follow.
"We shall be maintaining an enhanced police presence throughout the week and into the weekend. We would like to thank the public for their support and appeal to anyone with information or video footage to come forward and provide that to us."
Anyone with information about the crash or the rioting has been asked to contact the force quoting incident number 2200166555.
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