Crowd clash with police after two teens die with fires lit and fireworks thrown
Dozens of rioters clashed with police last night - with objects hurled at officers and fires started - following a "serious crash" in Cardiff in which two teenagers died.
It comes as a heartbroken mum pleaded with rioters to stop as her teenage son Kyrees Jordan Sullivan and his friend Harvey Evans lay dying.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene in Snowden Road, in the city's Ely area on Monday from around 6pm.
The crowds of 100-150 people continued to swell as responders tried to control the "ongoing disorder" with dogs - asking people on social media to disperse and avoid the area. But trouble swelled for hours.
Some of those gathered covered their faces with balaclavas while some were reportedly seen breaking up paving slabs to hurl at officers.
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At least two cars were set ablaze and one was tipped onto its roof amid the chaos. It is unclear what exactly sparked the disorder.
Scenes being livestreamed on YouTube showed young people throwing fireworks and other missiles at a line of police officers with riot shields who were blocking one end of the street.
A member of the public was attacked due to rioters thinking they were an undercover officer, according to one of the senior officers at the scene.
Riot police were called to Ely, Cardiff (WALES NEWS SERVICE)There was some speculation online that the police had been involved in the initial crash.
However, South Wales Police said it "had already occurred when officers arrived".
Bridy Bool, a friend of Harvey's family, said the families of the boys were desperate for further information from the police about what happened.
“The police are not telling her where her boy is – she has been waiting all night and morning,” she said.
“They are not telling them – they are waiting for the family liaison officer. It was 2.40am when her boy’s body got moved from there. I’ve just left her house now.
Kyrees Sullivan, 15, and Harvey Evans, 16 (Facebook)“There’s no support. They are on the phone but there is no support on the ground – all this is going on and they are nowhere.”
Ms Bool claimed the fatal crash occurred because “they were being chased by the police” while riding on an electric scooter.
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“I know they were being chased by the police as there are videos going around that the police were chasing them,” she said.
“They didn’t have helmets on and there was no reason for them to be chased."
She added: “Harvey was such a young boy, a sociable boy, he had loads of friends and he loved motorbikes and football.
“He was best friends with Kyrees and were into the same things. It was not unusual for them to be together.”
A number of fires were also started (WALES NEWS SERVICE)
The crowds gathered after an earlier crash (Twitter)Police, including mounted officers on horseback, were seen outside Ely police station in the early hours of Tuesday after suggestions it could be targeted.
Shortly before 3am, rioters moved down Highmead Road in Ely, followed by police who were trying to disperse them.
The rioters continued to throw missiles and set cars alight.
Jane Palmer said she and her family watched from a window as people outside set fire to her car.
"I'm disabled so now I'm trapped without my car," she said. "Why are they doing this? It's just silly now."
The family attempted to stop the fire using water from their garden hose.
Cars were burnt out during the unrest (Getty Images)A man called Connor said: "It's been a mad night. This is not the norm around here but people are pretty anti-police and that's reflected on both sides, not that that's my opinion.
"Although we've been afflicted by this riot, I still understand it. When people have enough, this is what happens."
In a late update police said that arrests had now been made.
Posting on social media at 1.09am on Tuesday, South Wales Police Cardiff said: "Police are continuing to monitor and respond to disorder in Ely.
Fires erupted in the streets as police tried to push rioters back (Getty Images)"A number of vehicles have been set alight. Arrests are being made. A large police presence remains in the area."
Images from the scene show a large number of objects being thrown at police with people gesticulating at officers carrying riot shields.
Youths with scarves tied around their heads appearing to want to conceal their identity were also charging at police lines, kicking and throwing objects.
Police then charged forwards to push the rioters back again.
Ely is a district and community in Cardiff, WalesA line of officers were also on Stanway Road, where a large fire had erupted on the highway in front of them and a large number of people gathered.
A police helicopter also appeared to be hovering over the scene.
Earlier the force tweeted: "There is now a large number of officers working to manage the collision, but also to de-escalate ongoing disorder at the scene.
Police battled through the evening during the unrest (Getty Images)"We urge anyone involved to leave the scene immediately and ask local residents to stay away while the matter is brought to a safe conclusion."
Daylight images this morning show the aftermath of the chaos.
Bricks and sheets of wood are among the debris.
John Urquhart, the general secretary of the UK Harmony Party, lives in Ely and witnessed the incident escalate from the start of the evening.
He said that a lack of communication from police to the community may have led to the escalation of the event.
He said: "The key thing right at the start was they did not communicate with the crowd, there was no attempt to communicate with the crowd and they showed nothing but disdain for the community and acted like we didn't deserve to know what happened on our own doorstep.
Crowds gathered around an estate in Ely, Cardiff"There was nobody going through the crowd crucially, I think the police really needed people to be out talking to the community and putting their minds at ease."
Mr Urquhart, who has lived in the area for the last few years, said the situation started to escalate at around 8pm.
"The vast majority of people who were stood in that street were stood there because they wanted to know what would happen next, there were a very small number of people actually doing any sort of violence," he said.
He said he is very "counter-violence" and was offering first aid to people during the evening.
Riot police in Ely, Cardiff have joined emergency services at the scene of a crash (WALES NEWS SERVICE)"There was definitely a small group doing things, but the vast majority of other people were just watching and having that normal comradery in the street that you have when something is happening in your street and you have no control over it."
He said the community in Ely is tight-knit.
"When you start to see it in context, it's emotions that have built up and bottled up and eventually, I think the police just brought too many people or were too visible."
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which oversees police complaints system in England and Wales, say they have had no referral in relation to the incident.
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