Posted by Armed gardai open fire on stolen lorry as man behind wheel tried to ram through two Garda cars
The man – who was chased after refusing to stop beforehand – immediately hopped out with his hands up when the shot was fired before he was arrested.
- 19:46, 8 NOV 2023
- Updated20:34, 8 NOV 2023
Armed gardai fired a shot through the windscreen of a stolen lorry to bring its rampaging driver to a halt, we can reveal.
The driver, in his 30s, was attempting to ram through two garda vehicles on Wednesday when officers from the Armed Support Unit discharged the gunshot after repeatedly telling him to get out.
The man – who was chased after refusing to stop beforehand – immediately hopped out with his hands up when the shot was fired before he was arrested.
Gardai had received a report on Tuesday night that a lorry had been stolen from the Bandon area.
Officers on Wednesday morning came across the vehicle in the Togher area of Cork.
But when they attempted to bring it to a stop, the lorry refused to and drove on.
As a chase ensued, assistance from the Armed Support Unit was sought.
Gardai cornered the lorry in a car park beside an electrical shop and a car dealership in the Forge Hill area of Togher.
But locals say the driver attempted to ram through the vehicles.
Members of the ASU told the man to get out of the truck in repeated warnings before they had to fire a shot at after 11am.
An eyewitness said: “It was a very serious situation because there could have been serious injury caused there to the guards.
“And the guards shouted warning after warning but he tried to plough through two of the cars and that’s when the shot was fired.”
Passer-by Sarah Kearney said: “It was shocking, I’m a bit taken aback thinking about what happened. The whole area is taped off now and there are gardai everywhere.
“It was very dangerous – I was just thinking, imagine if someone around here had a child with them.”
The Irish Mirror has learned that the arrested man is a foreign national who is known to gardai for burglaries, targeting both residential and industrial premises.
He was brought to a Cork garda station where he’s being held under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
The scene remained preserved for a time for an examination as part of the investigation.
A garda spokesman said: “Two Garda vehicles were damaged in the course of this operation. No injuries were reported.”
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