Bikers ride in convoy to remember teens killed in Ely crash
A convoy of motorbikes, off-road scramblers and quad bikes took part in a ride from Ely to Barry[1] in memory of two boys who died in a crash last month. Kyrees Sullivan, 16, and 15-year-old Harvey Evans had been on an e-bike when the crash happened in Ely.
More than 50 vehicles took part in a ride on Saturday (June 10) that went from Ely to Cold Knap at Barry and back. There was a large police presence and at one point police warned that some involved were “driving in a manner that may expose other road users and pedestrians to risk”.
Videos from the area show a long line of vehicles arriving at the Cold Knap with some bikes going on to the pebbly beach, some pulling wheelies and others beeping their horns.
One witnesses said: “They arrived around 1pm and left at 2pm. There were a small minority of them on the beach and pulling wheelies which wasn’t great in a public area but the majority to be fair were just part of the parade they had arranged. It was a noisy entrance and exit, but quite civilised and calm while there.”
A police helicopter was deployed and officers warned members of the public to “take extra care” while a “public event” took place at Barry Island and raised concerns about some “hazardous driving” and have appealed for anyone with dashcam footage of the event to get in touch.
One of the bikers taking part in the convoy (Image: UGC)
Arriving at the Knap (Image: UGC)
(Image: UGC)
On Saturday afternoon, South Wales Police[2] tweeted: “We are aware of a public event involving a number of vehicles travelling from Ely to Barry area, where they remain. Some of involved are driving in a manner that may expose other road users and pedestrians to risk – we ask that the public take extra care.”
A second tweet added: “We anticipate they will return to the Ely area and are concerned that the hazardous manner of driving may continue, we ask people where possible to avoid the area until we can update you with further information. Officers are observing and gathering evidence.”
The convoy returned back to Ely around 2.30pm. Police have asked for anyone with footage to keep it. A spokesman said: “Public event involving a number of vehicles travelling between Ely & Barry and back to Cardiff – If you have any CCTV, Dashcam or telephone video, please retain it. We will update you in due course on how to submit it.”
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Travis said: “We fully understand that people want to pay their respects, but this should be done peacefully without bringing disruption to the area. Our priority is to keep people and businesses within the community safe, and we had a policing operation in place to ensure this happened.
“Every road user has a duty to abide by road traffic legislation. Our response to today will be proportionate and will involve dealing with offences retrospectively using evidence gathered by officers, drones, the police helicopter, and members of the public.
“I want to thank the public for their patience during what must have been a very concerning afternoon. Despite some very hazardous driving in our communities, there have been no injuries or collisions reported.”
Anyone who has any CCTV, mobile phone or dashcam footage which will help us pursue our investigation to motoring offences committed during today’s event can be submitted online via a public portal: https://mipp.police.uk/operation/62SWP23B72-PO2[3]
Harvey Evans (left) and Kyrees Sullivan (right) (Image: South Wales Police)
The boys’ deaths sparked hours of violence and vandalism on May 22 after word spread that a marked police van had been following the pair minutes before the crash. Twenty people arrested after the disorder have been released on police bail as inquiries continue.
Days after the deaths a touching vigil took place in the Cardiff[4] hundreds of mourners amassed in the surrounding area. Many wore white T-shirts with the faces of Kyrees and Harvey printed on them and released thousands of balloons.
Police are continuing to investigate both the crash and the riot which followed. The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an independent investigation and has outlined four key points in the inquiry[5].
References
- ^ Barry (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ South Wales Police (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ https://mipp.police.uk/operation/62SWP23B72-PO2 (mipp.police.uk)
- ^ Cardiff (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ outlined four key points in the inquiry (www.walesonline.co.uk)