Residents in the Ely area of Cardiff have doomed the violence on their streets on Monday night as “repellent” and “terrible”.
The rioting happened after two teenage boys died in a crash, South Wales police said.
The two boys were named narrowly.
On Tuesday as friends Harvey Evans, 15, and Kyrees Sullivan, 16.
They were reportedly killed in a crash requiring an electric bike.
Up to 12 police officers were harmed in the rioting, as cars were set dismount and fireworks and cover slabs were thrown at them. Several arrests have been made.
Between 100 and 150 people convene on the streets of Ely on Monday evening and into Tuesday morning.
South Wales Police stated rumours had spread on social media asserting that the boys had been chased by police, but said its officers did not arrive on the scene pending after the crash.
A Closer Look at the Ely Riot in Cardiff
However, CCTV footage emerged on Tuesday afternoon showing a police van driving firmly behind two people on an electric bike or mope around 900m from where the crash occurred.
It is believed the video, got by the news agency Wales News and appeared to have been clasped from a private CCTV camera attached to a house, was widely regarded in the local area and had been discerning by the boys’ families.
South Wales Police Chief Superintendent Martyn Stone said the force had collected the footage, but there were no police machines on the road at the time of the crash.
The force has since mentioned itself to the police watchdog and acknowledged the footage showed a police vehicle following a bike just before 6 pm.
On Tuesday morning, there was residue all across the road at the location of the rioting.
Stones and bricks were scattered across the street, and a glass door ripped out of someone’s home.
The remains of burnt-out or damaged cars also lined the streets as council workers began the clean-up operation.
South Wales Police have said they are probing after CCTV emerged showing a bike being followed by a police van moments before a crash leading to two teenagers’ deaths.
The two teenagers who died in the ram in the Ely area of Cardiff that led to a widespread rampage late into the night have been named locally. Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and 15-year-old Harvey Evans were killed in the Ely area of Cardiff while riding an electric bike.
Friends have claimed police were chasing them, but South Wales Police had said the collision had previously occurred when officers came and that gossip there had been a police pursuit was false.
But tonight at a press congress South Wales Police Chief Superintendent Martyn Stone said CCTV footage showing an electric bike followed by a police van had appeared and would “form part of the investigation”. He attracts for anyone with any more footage to get in touch.
Downing Street said the scenes in Cardiff were “appalling and completely unacceptable”. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The reports of disorder, violence, arson and specifically charges on police officers are horrific and unacceptable. We remain indebted to the emergency services and first responders for all their bear to the community and restoring order.”
Uncovering the Impact of the Ely Riot in Cardiff
Crime commissioner Alun Michael said earlier today: “The start of the occurrence was a road traffic event which sadly involved two teenagers and a loss of life. That’s a tragedy that the police attended and were attempting to probe when these events took place.”
He condemns those “rumours” of a police chase for the chief to the rioting. He said: “‘I think it illustrates the rate with which hearsay can run around with the pursuit that goes on on social media nowadays, and that thing can gain out of hand.”
Cars were put on fire, and officers had missiles – counting
fireworks and solid blocks – hurled at them. Around 100 to 150 people were rallied on the streets, and rioters were still there nine hours later. Scenes being live-streamed on YouTube showed young people hurling fireworks and other missiles at a dash of police officers with uproar shields who were blocking one end of the street.
