Cardiff CCTV footage seems to show police following e-bike just before crash

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Dramatic new footage has emerged appearing to show police following an e-bike moments before a crash in which two teenagers were killed, sparking a riot in Cardiff.

The footage, which emerged on Wednesday, will heap more pressure on South Wales police and the force’s police and crime commissioner, Alun Michael, who originally said there had been no pursuit.

It appears to show the boys, Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and Harvey Evans, 15, on an electric bike being followed by a police van about 400 metres from where the crash happened.

The spot on Stanway Road is less than half a mile from Frank Road, where separate footage from Tuesday apparently showed the earlier part of the pursuit.

A member of Harvey’s family told the Guardian: “They originally told our family there was no police vehicle in the area at the time and they didn’t get chased. It’s all in the video. They were lying.”

The family believe the police van chased the boys across the estate in the Ely area of the Welsh capital. They think that the boys lost the police by riding through bollards shortly after the scene captured in the new CCTV footage.

Their theory is that the police could not follow and so turned into another street, Howell Road. The bike then crashed around 100m from the bollards on Snowden Road.

One relative told the Guardian they believed the police vehicle that got to the boys after the accident was reported at 6.03pm on Monday was the one that had been pursuing them.

On Tuesday morning, Michael claimed the riots had followed false rumours spread on social media that the boys were killed as police pursued the e-bike they were on.

But later that day, CCTV footage emerged of an e-bike being followed by police a few minutes before the crash just over half a mile away, prompting South Wales police to refer themselves to the police watchdog.

On Wednesday police confirmed that a police van was following the e-bike minutes before the crash. They said there were no police vehicles on Snowden Road when the fatal e-bike crash occurred.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said it will investigate the footage showing a police van following a bike.

A spokesperson said: “We will be examining any interaction between the police and the boys after CCTV footage emerged apparently showing a police vehicle following a bike prior to the incident.”

The IOPC director, David Ford, said: “It is important that we independently investigate the circumstances leading up to this tragic event. This incident and the events that followed have, understandably, attracted significant interest and public concern.

“It is important that we thoroughly and independently investigate this matter, in order to establish the full facts and circumstances of exactly what happened on Monday.”

An eyewitness, whose CCTV captured the police van in Frank Road, said she and their four-year-old niece had to jump out of the way of the bike and van.

“You could see the boys were panicking and trying to get away from the police,” she said.

On Wednesday, friends of the boys took it in turns to maintain a vigil at the spot where tributes had been left. Most of them continued to pour scorn on the account the police have given.

A woman at the tributes, who did not give her name, said: “Young people are always targeted by police around here.” Talking about the riots, she said they happened because the police would not let family members approach the spot where the pair died.

Another said: “The feds are telling porky pies. They treat us differently because we live in Ely.”

One message on a floral tribute read “Love you both like family” and recalled “the first time we played motorbikes”.

Harvey’s godmother, Bridy Bool, said on Wednesday: “Two beautiful boys lost their lives. They were loved by so many people. They grew up together from when they were babies, they ate, slept, breathed together. They say we are a deprived community but we have the same blood running through our veins. We stick together.”

The families of the two boys released tributes to them, after they were confirmed as victims by the police.

In a statement Harvey’s mother said: “Our hearts are truly broken by the sudden death of Harvey, our much-loved son, grandson, brother, nephew, friend, and boyfriend.

“He lived life to the full, he had a big heart and deep down he truly cared. He was a best friend to Kyrees, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family also. As Harvey’s mum I want to remember our son as the fun and loving son that he was and not as the media are portraying him now.”

Kyrees’ family said: “Kyrees was a loving, caring handsome young man … Him and Harvey along with Niall were best friends since they were young and went everywhere together, they both had so many friends and were very well liked doing many things together, having fun and laughs. They were loved by not only their families but by their community as well.”