Cardiff riot: Ely death crash witnesses sought by police watchdog

Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16, died in a bike crash on Monday

A police watchdog has appealed for witnesses who saw the moments before a fatal crash involving two boys in Ely.

The crash sparked a riot in the Cardiff suburb on Monday leading to nine arrests and 15 officers being injured.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it had already carried out "extensive" house-to-house enquiries in the local area.

The IOPC also said its investigation would be impartial and independent of the South Wales Police force.

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The exact circumstances of the deaths of Kyrees Sullivan,16, and Harvey Evans,15, have not been established.

Reports on social media suggested the police were chasing the pair, who were riding together on an electric bike shortly before the collision.

CCTV footage later released showed a police van following the boys minutes before they died on Snowden Road at 18:00 BST.

On Wednesday, South Wales Police confirmed its officers had been following the teenagers prior to their deaths, but refused to answer further questions about it, citing an ongoing IOPC investigation.

A riot broke out in the Cardiff suburb shortly after the boys died in a collision

So far, CCTV is being gathered and the investigating officers are reviewing initial accounts from the police officers involved.

They will also investigate:

• The nature of the police interaction with the two boys prior to the collision and the appropriateness of the police officers' decisions and actions

• Whether at any time the decisions and actions of the officers in the police vehicle constituted a pursuit

• Whether the interaction between the police officers and the boys was reported appropriately by the officers prior to and following the collision

• Whether the actions and decisions of South Wales Police over the interaction were in line with legislation, local and national policies and procedures

Director of the IOPC David Ford said: "Our investigators have been conducting enquiries and securing evidence in the immediate vicinity of where the events took place, speaking to local residents, distributing leaflets and gathering as much relevant information as possible.

"I am truly grateful for the co-operation and assistance we have received from people within the local community.

"We would welcome anyone we haven't yet spoken to yet, who believes they have footage or witnessed anything relevant between 5.35pm and 6.10pm on Monday, to come forward to us.

Cars were set on fire on Monday evening

"We are working hard to establish the exact circumstances of what took place in the period leading up to the collision.

"I would like to reassure everyone in the community that our work will be thorough, impartial, and independent of the police."