Police van following teenagers first on scene after fatal crash, chief confirms
T
he police officers pursuing two teenagers riding an electric bike minutes before they were killed in a crash were the first to arrive at the scene of the collision, a senior police chief has confirmed.
Harvey Evans, 15, died alongside his best friend Kyrees Sullivan, 16, when the bike they were riding crashed in the Ely[1] area of Cardiff[2] on Monday evening.
Their deaths sparked rioting after video footage of a marked police van following the teenagers quickly circulated on social media.
South Wales Police[3] said the collision had already occurred when the first officers arrived at the scene in Snowden Road.
Alun Michael, the local Police and Crime Commissioner, said he had been “assured and I am still assured youths were not being chased by the police at the time of the road traffic accident”.
Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Bacon said the police van, which had been following the boys, was the first to respond to the collision.
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends of Kyrees and Harvey and everyone affected by this terrible incident,” she told a press conference.
“We can only begin to imagine the grief they are experiencing at this time. The families continue to be supported and updated by family liaison officers.”
She told reporters the pursuit began on Frank Road when the bike turned around after seeing the police van and was then followed by the officers who did not turn on their lights or sirens.
They turned into Stanway Road, which is closed to traffic at one end, and local residents believe Harvey and Kyrees carried on to pass through the bollards to avoid the police – forcing officers to turn into Howell Road and onto Grand Avenue to loop around the estate.
Ms Bacon said that at the time of the collision the van was in Grand Avenue – half a mile away from Snowden Road – and when officers learned of the collision they were on Cowbridge Road West and turned on their blue lights and headed to the scene.
“There was no police vehicle in Snowden Road at the time of the collision and we believe there were no other vehicles involved in the incident,” she said.
“We have made a mandatory referral to the Independent[4] Office for Police Conduct to ensure the matter receives independent scrutiny.
“We will provide them with all the information we have, and they will undertake an independent investigation.”
References
- ^ Ely (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ Cardiff (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ South Wales Police (www.standard.co.uk)
- ^ Independent (www.standard.co.uk)