Several dozen youngsters hurled objects at police and set cars and rubbish bins on fire in Cardiff in local riots that broke out after two teenagers were killed in a road accident, authorities said Tuesday.
Police said «disorder on a large scale» broke out after officers were called to the scene of an accident in the Ely district of the Welsh capital on Monday night.
«First of all, our thoughts are with the families of the two children who died following the collision at Ely and with those affected by the disorder that followed,» said Assistant Chief Constable Mark Travis of South Wales Police.
“These are scenes that we don’t expect to see in our communities, particularly in a tight-knit community like Ely.”
Scenes broadcast live on YouTube showed dozens of people, many wearing hoods or ski masks, wandering around while others threw objects and fired fireworks at a line of police with riot shields blocking one end of the street.
A fire was burning and a helicopter could be heard hovering overhead. Shortly before midnight, one car was set on fire, while a second vehicle rolled over and caught fire.
The chaos continued into the early hours of Tuesday, and at one point police officers were stationed outside Ely police station after it was suggested it might be a target.