Two boys aged 15 and 16 sadly died in the Ely area of Cardiff on Monday. Families of the two teenagers who died in an electric bike crash, which sparked riots across the city, have said the pair were best friends.
Initially, South Wales’ Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael insisted that the two teenagers were not being chased by the police when they were killed, dismissing the idea of a police chase as a rumour.
However, at a press conference yesterday, Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Bacon said that officers were following the two boys after CCTV footage emerged; showing a police van driving just a second behind the boys.
South Wales Police have now said that, in the minute or so before the crash took place, they turned onto a main road and were half a mile away from the scene of the crash on Snowden Road.
The only reason they did not continue on the road towards the crash was because there are bollards between Stanway Road and Snowdon Road. They have maintained that none of their vehicles were on Snowdon Road – where the crash was – at the time it happened.
South Wales Police have published a timeline of events which led to the tragic death of the two boys:
17.59 – The boys are seen travelling towards a police van on a bike
18.00 – The bike turns around and is then followed by the police van
18.01 – The van follows bike before turning on to Howell Road
18.02 – The police van then turns on to Grand Avenue
18.06 – The crash is reported
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the incident after South Wales Police referred themselves. The IOPC have released a statement appealing for the Ely community to co-operate with the investigation.
Our inquest team have dealt with a number of deaths resulting from police pursuits over the last couple of years. Often, the alleged crimes do not justify the level of risk to a person’s life in a high-speed police chase taking place, which results in devastating consequences.
It is important that families are aware that they are entitled to legal representation where their family member has died following police contact in circumstances such as this, even where they are being told that a pursuit did not take place. We have seen how the situation is in fact very different to that.
If you too have sadly lost a loved one following a police pursuit, our specialist inquests team are available to offer you the advice and support you need from the outset. Legal aid may be available in these cases to cover your cost of representation and our solicitors will do everything within their power to assist you at this extremely difficult time. You can speak to the team in confidence on 0845 287 0939 or you can contact us by email if you prefer.
Related Case Study:
Inquest into Death of 19-Year-Old Killed During High Speed Police Pursuit
