Police recover CCTV images as part of riot probe
South Wales Police: "When the collision occurred, there were no police vehicles on Snowden Road"
Last updated 23rd May 2023
CCTV appears to show a police van following an electric bike in Cardiff - which later crashed, killing two teenagers.
That's despite the South Wales force denying it was pursuing them.
A riot followed last night – with cars burnt out and fireworks directed at officers – injuring 15 of them.
The force has referred itself to the watchdog.
Chief Superintendent Martyn Stone, Divisional Commander for Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, has made the following statement:
"South Wales Police is continuing to investigate a fatal road traffic collision and serious disorder which happened in the Ely area of Cardiff last night.
At 6.03pm yesterday we received a report of a serious collision on Snowden Road which tragically resulted in the deaths of two teenage boys.
The families of the two boys are being supported by family liaison officers. Our thoughts are with both families at this terrible time.
An electric bike has been seized from the scene and enquiries are on-going to establish the exact circumstances.
We have received CCTV footage which shows a police vehicle following a bike just prior to 6pm. This footage is being recovered as part of the investigation which will assist us in piecing together the circumstances leading up to the collision. The families are being kept up to date.
We can confirm that following investigations carried out so far, that when the collision occurred, there were no police vehicles on Snowden Road. A police vehicle in Grand Avenue responded to the report of a collision, attended the area and the officers performed CPR.
The investigation has involved studying CCTV and tracking data from the police vehicle.
At this stage, we do not believe that any other vehicle was involved.
During the disorder, 15 officers were injured requiring medical attention. 11 went to hospital, 4 were treated at the scene.
Our focus now is to fully investigate the circumstances of the collision and the appalling scenes that followed.
We are appealing for witnesses, information, and footage from mobile phones and social media.
We acknowledge the impact last night’s disorder had on local residents who were understandably very frightened. They have our assurances that we will be doing all we can to arrest those responsible. A number of people have already been arrested and more arrests will follow.
We are extremely grateful for the support from the community and urge anyone with information to contact South Wales Police.
South Wales Police has made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct to ensure the matter receives independent scrutiny."