Cardiff bike crash – latest: Family of teen killed reveal what started riot after ‘police chase’
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, died in an electric bike crash in Ely on Monday, sparking a night of riots in Cardiff
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Family members of the two boys killed in Cardiff while riding an electric bike have revealed what sparked the riot that followed the teenagers’ deaths.
Following the vigil for Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, attended by a thousand in Ely on Friday night, the younger boy’s aunt and grandmother spoke of the community’s anger at the lack of answers following the revelation of footage of “police chasing” the teenagers on Monday evening, shortly before they died.
CCTV footage of a marked South Wales Police van following the teenagers as they rode a Sur-Ron electric bike quickly spread on social media after the incident, leading to violent clashes and disorder in Ely.
Harvey’s aunt Hayley Murphy and grandmother Dawn Rees have now revealed to the BBC: “We were stood at the barrier and we were begging them, begging them, to tell us if they were alive or dead, and they wouldn’t tell us nothing – and then someone ran into the crowd and said ‘I’ve got a video of the police chasing them’, and that is what started it.
“That’s what got everyone angry, so I understand because we wasn’t getting no answers.”
We are now putting our coverage of the Cardiff case on hold for the evening.
Police officer 'had grudge' against Cardiff teens, claims friend
A police officer had a grudge against the two teenagers and had previously tried to "run them off the road", a friend has claimed.
John Silver, 19, who said he was a friend of Kyrees Sullivan and Harvey Evans, told the Daily Mail the police have had issues with e-bikes in the area.
"They are legal but the police don't like the boys on them," he alleged.
One officer in particular would try to run them off the road whenever he saw them.
"The police say they weren't chasing the boys but if that officer was in the area they would want to keep away from him."
'Police killed my son,' says mother of e-bike crash victim
The mother of one of the teens who died in an e-bike crash in Cardiff has alleged that the police "killed" her son.
At a vigil for the boys last night, Belinda Sullivan, mother of Kyrees, told The Daily Telegraph: “The police killed my son. I’ve got nothing else to say.”
The South Wales Police have been under fire since the death of the two teenagers, who were allegedly chased by a police van. The deaths sparked riots in Cardiff on Monday.
‘Our hearts are truly broken’: Families of ‘best friends’ killed in Cardiff crash pay tribute
The families of two teenage best friends killed in a crash in Cardiff that sparked riots have paid tribute, saying their “hearts are truly broken” as they pleaded for “peace within the community”.
Harvey Evans, 15, died alongside Kyrees Sullivan, 16, after the crash in the Ely area on Monday evening.
Video footage on social media appears to show the two boys on an electric bike being followed by a marked police van minutes before the fatal crash that prompted a riot hours later.
Their families have now paid tribute to the boys, saying they were “loved by not only their families but by their community as well”.
‘Our hearts are truly broken’: Families of boys killed in Cardiff crash pay tribute
Two boys were killed in a crash while riding an electric bike in Ely on Monday evening, sparking a riot
What happened in Cardiff on Monday night?
A crash that killed two teenagers appears to have “sparked” the rioting seen in Cardiff on Monday evening, the Police and Crime Commissioner for South Wales has said.
Police faced what they called “large scale disorder” after receiving reports of a collision on Snowden Road in Ely around 6pm on Monday, with tensions reaching breaking point as cars were set on fire and fireworks were shot at officers.
Ely riots: A timeline of events
The deaths of two teenagers in a road accident minutes after they had been involved in a pursuit with police sparked rioting in the Ely area of Cardiff.
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, died in the incident on Monday evening while riding an electric bike.
Here is a timeline of events:
Ely riots: A timeline of events
Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, died on Monday evening while riding an electric bike.
Witness describes seeing police pursuit of teenage boys
A witness has described seeing a police van following two teenagers on an electric bike minutes before they were killed in a collision.
The resident said she was walking to her local shops on Monday evening when she saw two boys riding a bike along Stanway Road in Ely, Cardiff, followed “seconds later” by the van.
She claimed she saw the van on the other side of the road as it passed her.
“They were on the other side of the road, and they took it wide,” the woman, who only wished to be called Leanne, said.
“It was faster than they normally go round here. If you’re coming round that corner – no lights and no sirens – how do I know you’re there?”
Witness describes seeing police pursuit of teenage boys
A resident said she was walking to the shops on Monday when she saw two boys riding a bike in Ely, Cardiff, followed ‘seconds later’ by a police van.
First minister to urge authorities to examine cause of violence
Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford said he was looking to hold a meeting with public authorities to see whether more could be done in the community of Ely following the disorder.
He said on Wednesday: “13,000 people live in Ely. It is larger than almost any Welsh town, so it’s an area which has a huge mix of people in it and what we saw on Monday in no way at all represents the bulk of people who live in that part of Cardiff.
“The events themselves, as we know, will be investigated by police.
“I hope myself to convene a meeting on Friday of main public authorities to look at not what happened on Monday night but the background of precipitating causes to see just what more we can do to give confidence to people on the estate, that the police have the resources they need to respond effectively and promptly to incidents that happen, and whether there is more that can be done to help young people growing up in that area.”
In pictures: Flowers and tributes left for two boys killed in car crash in Ely
Flowers and tributes left for the two teenagers in Ely, Cardiff, whose death in a car crash sparked a riot on Monday night.
Police say timeline shows vehicle was in Grand Avenue
This is the timeline of events given by Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Bacon:
“At 17.59.40 CCTV shows the bike travelling towards the police vehicle in Frank Road, the bike then turns around.
“18.00.52 the bike is then followed by the police vehicle. You can already see on CCTV images that there were no blue lights or sirens in use.
“18.01.18 police vehicle is at New Church Ely roundabout and travels through Archer Road, Stanway Road and Howell Road.
“18.02.31 police vehicle turns onto Grand Avenue.
“18.02.18-18.02.41 this is the approximate time of the road traffic collision that took place on Snowden Road. At the time of the collision, the police vehicle is in Grand Avenue, half a mile away from Snowden Road.”
She said: “This is a complex investigation and we had to be sure of the facts before confirming them. We have been busy obtaining witness accounts, analysing tracking data from police vehicles and studying CCTV, and this is what we know now.”
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