A Garda Detective narrowly escaped serious injury last night, when a firearm was discharged above his head, during his pursuit of a burglary gang, across Co Kildare.
Gardaí had been in pursuit of a black Audi estate car. The Audi, which bore a partial registration of 151 G, was suspected of being involved in a number of burglaries in the Cork and Tipperary area. The Tipperary raid is understood to have occurred in New Inn, South Tipperary where the high-powered vehicle was identified as being associated with the theft of a gun safe containing three individual firearms.
The Audi was later spotted by Garda units close to Monasterevin, Co. Kildare at 9.30pm last night. Officers had observed the car driving at high speed through the area, heading towards the Kildare Road.
Officers followed the car from an area known as Ashgrove, Kildare, before halting it at nearby Larch Hill, Kildare. A male; the occupant of the front passenger seat, armed with a shotgun, then dismounted from the vehicle and fired a single shot over a detective Garda’s head. Thankfully no one was injured during the incident.
We understand other armed Garda units were then made aware of this incident and responded by halting a silver Hyundai car at Pollardstown in Newbridge at about 10.30pm.
We also understand that three male individuals; aged 23, 27 and 32 years of age, were arrested and today remain in custody at Portlaoise and Tullamore garda stations.
This latest incident comes about as a depleted rural Garda force struggles to curb a renewed blitz of rural burglaries being conducted in the Midlands, by Dublin and Limerick based criminal gangs.
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