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Wales Online
Wales Online
National
Cathy Owen & Lucy John & Ffion Lewis

Police investigating CCTV showing police vehicle following bike moments before crash that killed two teenagers

Police are investigating footage from a CCTV camera in Ely which appears to show two young people on an electric bike being followed by a police van just moments before a crash that killed two teens.

Police said they were called to reports of a crash in Snowden Road at 6pm on Monday night (May 22), and the video from a house in the area appears to show a bike being followed by police at 5.59pm.

South Wales Police has said previously that the collision had "already occurred" when officers arrived.

Read more: Ely riot: Live updates as police investigate CCTV showing police van following bike moments before fatal crash

But South Wales Police Chief Superintendent Martyn Stone said that CCTV footage showing an electric bike being followed by a police van had emerged and would "form part of the investigation". He appealed for anyone with any more footage to get in touch.

On Tuesday afternoon, the boys were named locally as Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and 15-year-old Harvey Evans who were involved in a collision while riding an electric bike. Friends of the two boys, who were from the Ely area, said they were riding a Sur-Ron electric bike without helmets when they died. They said their families were desperate for further information from the police about what happened.

Crime Commissioner Alun Michael said earlier today there had been no police chase before the crash. He said: "There were also unfounded rumours of a police chase which was not the case and it just shows how particularly with things going around on social media which may have very little connection with the truth things can escalate very rapidly."

The video police are now investigating, which has been seen by WalesOnline, is time-stamped to 5.59pm on Monday, in Frank Road, Ely, 900m (2,953ft) away from the site of the suspected crash.

Mr Stone said at the press conference that no other vehicle was involved in the collision and that police were not on the same road at the time of the crash. But he also confirmed that a referral had been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

He said: "I would like to acknowledge the impact last night's disorder had on local residents, who are understandably very frightened. They have our assurances that we will be doing our best to arrest all of those responsible. A number of arrests have already been made and more will follow. We're extremely grateful for the support shown by the local community and urge anyone with information to contact South Wales Police.

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

The streets are cleaned up debris removed as damaged cars can still be seen on the streets around the Cardiff suburb. (WalesOnline/Rob Browne)
The clean up on Tuesday (WALES NEWS SERVICE)
A burned out car in Ely, Cardiff, on Tuesday morning (Ffion Lewis)

Mr Stone also confirmed that 15 police officers needed medical attention following the disorder. "During the disorder, 15 officers were injured, requiring medical attention," he said. "Eleven went to hospital and four were treated at the scene.

"We are appealing for witnesses, information and footage from mobile footage and social media. Details on how to submit these can be found on our website."

A car on fire at the height of the riot (Matthew Horwood)
Police with riot shields at the scene last night (Matthew Horwood)
A vehicle on fire last night (Matthew Horwood)

You can see more pictures of last night's shocking events here.

An IOPC spokesperson confirmed tonight it would start gathering information before deciding on whether to carry out an investigation.

They said: “We have been contacted this afternoon by South Wales Police to make a referral regarding the circumstances leading up to the fatal collision in Ely yesterday (Monday). We will be sending investigators to a police post incident procedure to begin gathering information and to assess whether the IOPC will carry out an independent investigation.”

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