A police officer is being criminally investigated for dangerous driving after following two teenagers in a van before they died in an e-bike crash.
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, died on the evening of Monday May 22 when they crashed on a Sur-Ron bike minutes after CCTV captured them being followed by a police van in Ely, Cardiff.
Tensions between locals and police at the scene led to a riot lasting several hours, during which time dozens of officers were injured, property was damaged and cars were set alight.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the driver of the police van, an officer with South Wales Police, has been told they are being criminally investigated for dangerous driving after previously being served with a gross misconduct notice.
Another officer, a passenger in the police van, was also previously served with a gross misconduct notice.
The watchdog said a decision over potential disciplinary proceedings and any referral to the Crown Prosecution Service will be made at the end of the probe.
The IOPC said its probe began three months ago to look into the nature of the police interaction with the boys before the collision and how appropriate the officers’ decisions and actions were.
In a statement, the watchdog said a key part of the investigation was whether there was any point at which the officers’ decisions and actions in the police van constituted a pursuit.
IOPC director David Ford said: “Our independent investigation is progressing well and I want to again thank the local community for the support provided to our investigation, including through the sharing of CCTV evidence.
“We would still encourage anyone who believes they have useful information to come forward to us. We are continuing to engage with local community leaders and elected officials to provide updates on our investigation.
“I would like to emphasise again that we remain committed to establishing the facts of what happened.”
