Two teenagers were killed in a crash before mass violence broke out in Cardiff last night, with cars torched and missiles hurled at officers.
Riot officers battled with swelling crowds of rioters into the early hours of Tuesday morning, with pitched battles at one point involving up to 150 members of the public.
A heartbroken mum pleaded with rioters to stop as her teenage son Kyrees Jordan Sullivan and his friend Harvey Evans lay dying.
While a family friend claims their loved ones believe they were being chased while riding their electric scooter.
Dozens of police officers were reported injured in the clashes, while rubbish and wheelie bins were also set alight by rioters as they continued to be moved on through the streets.
It is thought misinformation was spread suggesting a police chase had led to the deaths, prompting a police chief to warn about the power of rumours..
Alun Michael, the Police and Crime Commissioner in South Wales, said the fatal road accident appeared to have “sparked” the mass unrest.
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He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “My understanding is that there was a road traffic accident involving two teenagers on an off-road bike or scooter and sadly, they died.
"That’s an incident obviously that is being investigated in its own right.
“And that appears to have sparked, for reasons that aren’t clear, the disorder… in which something like a dozen officers were injured.
“Fortunately, none of them life-threatening, and the connection between the two is far from clear.
“So obviously there’s going to be investigations going on this morning to try and establish what happened.
“It would appear that there were rumours, and those rumours became rife, of a police chase, which wasn’t the case and I think it illustrates the speed with which rumours can run around with the activity that goes on social media nowadays, and that events can get out of hand.”
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.
“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”.
“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."
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.
At least two cars were set ablaze and one was tipped onto its roof amid the chaos.
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.
Shortly before 3am, rioters moved down Highmead Road in Ely, followed by police who were trying to disperse them.
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.
"A number of vehicles have been set alight. Arrests are being made. A large police presence remains in the area."
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.
