Great Britain
Deadly Chase? Welsh police under pressure
After a serious traffic accident in Cardiff, Wales, there were serious riots at night. photo
© Bronwen Weatherby/PA Wire/dpa
A crash that has killed two has sparked riots in Cardiff. According to a rumor, the police are said to have pursued the two. The officials reject that – but a video raises doubts.
After a traffic accident with two dead young people and riots in Cardiff, the police in the Welsh capital have come to an explanation. After initially giving the impression that there had been no interaction between the police and the victims, video from a surveillance camera cast doubt on this account.
After the accident, there was unrest in the residential area in western Cardiff on Tuesday night. According to media reports, the officers were thrown with stones and firecrackers. Videos circulating online showed police officers in riot gear trying to control a crowd. Several cars were set on fire.
injuries and arrests
The riots lasted until the early hours of the morning, and several people were arrested. A police spokesman said on Tuesday that 15 officers were injured, 11 of whom had to be taken to the hospital.
The riots were sparked by an alleged police involvement in the crash, South Wales Police and Crime Enforcement Officer Alun Michael told BBC 4 radio. According to him, rumors spread that the accident, in which a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old boy died, happened after a police chase. However, he dismissed this as unfounded. “I think it shows the speed at which rumors can spread through social media activity these days – and that events can get out of hand,” Michael continued.
But when video later surfaced from a surveillance camera showing a police van following an e-bike carrying two people at high speed, doubts about this portrayal were raised. The police spokesman said the video will help reconstruct the circumstances of the accident.
Police supervisory authority was turned on
He emphasized that there were no other vehicles on the road with the e-bike at the time of the accident. Police officers who were nearby only got to the scene of the accident when the accident had already happened. According to initial findings, no other vehicle was involved. The Independent Police Inspectorate was called in to investigate what was going on.
In an earlier statement, the police had strongly condemned the riots. “The level of violence against rescue workers and damage to property and vehicles was totally unacceptable,” said a police official. The focus is now on determining the circumstances of the accident and the events that followed.