Cardiff riots: CCTV appears to show police following an electric bike before crashing

The BBC has verified CCTV footage which appears to show a police car following two people on an electric bike minutes before a fatal crash sparked riots in Cardiff.

BBC Verify analyzed the video postmarked at 17:59 GMT on Monday on Frank Road in Ely 900m, or just over half a mile, away from the suspected crash site.

It comes after South Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Alun Michael told the BBC that a chase had not taken place.

In a statement outside Cardiff Bay Police Station, Commander Soupt Martin Stone said the force had made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

South Wales Police denied that they had been followed, saying its officers arrived on the scene after the incident and were there to manage “widespread disturbances” into the early hours of Tuesday.

Michael said as many as 12 officers were injured in the riot.

Police said there were arrests, but did not say how many.

South Wales Police were called to the fatal crash on Snowden Road shortly after 18:00 GMT on Monday.

At around 20:00, the police tweeted that they were still at the crash site but were also working to “calm down the ongoing disturbances”.

The force said it had received a large number of calls from “understandably frightened” residents.

Local resident Ahmed Abdullah, 34, said he heard threats from rioters to “kill” police officers at the scene.

They said they wouldn’t stop until they killed a police officer.

“People in this community don’t feel safe right now. We feel it could escalate at any time,” he said.

He said that young men chased police officers onto the road, throwing rocks and rockets at cars.

The force said its thoughts were with the families of the two boys who died, as well as with those affected by the riots.

A police spokesman said more arrests would follow.

Bridie Ball, who knows the Evans family, said Harvey had “a lot of friends” and loved motorcycles and football.

He was Kerris W’s best friend [they] They were into the same things. “It wasn’t strange that they were together,” she said.

Ms. Ball said she believes the officers are after the two men “because there are videos going around”.

The council and religious leaders called for calm while the police investigation was conducted.

Social Justice Minister Jane Hutt told the Snead newspaper on Tuesday afternoon that more arrests are expected.