Two police officers whose van was caught on CCTV following two boys on an electric bike in Cardiff—shortly before they collided with another vehicle and died—have been served with gross misconduct notices.
Alun Michael, the police and crime commissioner for South Wales, gave an interview the following day on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme in which he said “large scale disorder” had been caused by rumours the teenagers were being chased by police.
Michael said: “It would appear that there were rumours, and those rumours became rife, of a police chase, which wasn’t the case. And I think it illustrates the speed with which rumours can run around with the activity that goes on on social media nowadays, and that events can get out of hand.”
But a few hours later footage emerged, taken from local CCTV cameras and doorbell camera apps, of the boys on the Sur-Ron bike being pursued by a police van.
South Wales Police later confirmed the boys were being followed but took a route through a road which was protected by bollards and the police van was not pursuing them at the time they collided with another vehicle in Snowdon Road.
IOPC: ‘Positive’ Response From Community
IOPC Director David Ford said: “I wish to again extend my sympathies to the family and friends of Kyrees and Harvey, and to everyone who has felt the impactful loss of two young lives in Ely. The response from the community in helping our investigators has been very positive and I am extremely grateful for this assistance.”The IOPC said they were piecing together the events of May 22 by viewing hundreds of video clips, including body-worn video from police officers, and interviewing witnesses.
Ford said: “In case there are still people with relevant information we have yet to speak to, we have placed witness appeal boards in the vicinity of the incident. We would urge anyone who believes they have useful information to come forward to us. We have also met with local community leaders and elected officials to explain our role and the remit of our investigation.”
He added: “I would like to reassure everyone that we are focused on establishing precisely what happened in the run-up to the tragic incident. Our work will remain impartial and completely independent of the police.”
Twenty people—including three females—aged between 14 and 36 have been arrested by detectives investigating the May 22 riot.
MPs Call for Number Plates and Insurance
At the weekend two Conservative MPs said electric bikes need to have number plates and insurance to ensure the safety of pedestrians and other road users.Last week Saul Cookson, 15, died when his electric bike crashed into an ambulance in Salford, Greater Manchester.
In circumstances almost identical to the Cardiff incident, Cookson was being pursued by a police vehicle which was unable to follow him when he went down a road which was blocked by bollards. Moments later he collided with the ambulance.
Electric bikes can weigh twice as much as a bicycle and while most cannot exceed 15 miles per hour, some have been modified to go faster.
Children are legally allowed to ride them from the age of 14 and his parents had bought Evans one as an early 16th birthday present.
