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Updated at 11.04pm.
A GARDA HAS been taken to hospital after he was injured while attempting to stop a stolen car near the Bleeding Horse pub on the southside of Dublin city centre this evening.
It happened during an epic chase that saw units throughout the city pursue a stolen van from the Clondalkin area, along the M5o, through Finglas, and into the city centre.
The van failed to stop for Gardaí in the Kilcronan area of Clondalkin.
More and more units joined in the chase as it continued through town.
By the time they were passing TheJournal.ie’s offices on Golden Lane, off Aungier Street, shortly after 8pm, there were at least 12 vehicles involved — including squad cars, motorcycles, unmarked cars with lights flashing, and a van.
The Garda who was injured attempted to stop the vehicle as it was caught in traffic.
The man was eventually apprehended on Patrick Street (outside St Patrick’s Cathedral) and taken to Clondalkin Garda Station for questioning.
The injured officer has been taken for treatment to the Mater Hospital. His injuries aren’t serious.
Here’s a rough idea of the route the driver took, from Clondalkin to the point where he was arrested (from AA Routeplanner).
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Mental!!! They went up connaught street in phibsboro..chasing a transit van. There must have been 20 garda cars chasing him!
The Guards love a good car chase and will come out in numbers just to get involved … if you rang the guards to report someone breaking into a car or suspicious activity, they would take at least 30mintues to come out.
It’s a bloody transit van, not a Porsche they are trying to stop!
Yup and what’s a transit going to do when it hit pedestrian or group of kids or mom and kids driving home from Xmas shopping.
…And you think having 20 other speeding cars chasing behind is going to solve the problem?
I would think the front vehicle is the danger and the 20 behind it are screaming sirens to warn people it’s coming.
Why do we have a garda chopper again oh yeah to follow criminals from the air so not to endanger the public but sure hey let’s chase them with a load of cars that won’t be dangerous at all at all
Richard you don’t think much or read much do you??
So no siren and he goes high speed through city. Well at least the camera on helicopter will see him kill someone.
Yep Byyys, you know everything, right? You’re so obviously right with your innate and intimate inside knowledge of the Gardai. Oh and their procedures, you’re well up on those (those procedures that say wait 30mins to turn up to one crime, but drop everything for another crime). And the mindset of Gardai, sure who would want to turn up to a crime ay? It’s not like turning up to one crime requires less work than another crime.
Could you help sort out world hunger while your at it? What’s your views on why we don’t have world peace?
You’re totally ignorant. You obviously dont have the first clue about the Gardai: but don’t let that stop you from commenting.
Seriously, the Internet could be used to further ones knowledge, and then ïdïots like you feel free to just open your mouth without any intelligence behind it.
@the throwaway
Your not knew on here you should know the journal attracts every crackpot going. Well Internet in general does :)
Yeah, very true. Just had my fill of them at this stage…a moment of weakness!
New not knew. :) moment of silliness
Wish the guard a fast recovery. Put himself out there in harms way to stop this nut hurting the public.
I fear this nut will be free to go home tonight and eventually the judge will give him slap on the wrist.
Want to get at him then take his dole
And I thought all the crackpots were in FF, FG and LAB!!!!
Charles if the gardas had brains they would be dangerous. criminals only drive dangerously when they are chased if you follow unnoticed you will not only slow the criminal down but see where they are going and probably catch more of the people involved.
Obviously this guy has no sense of direction.
Clondalkin to St.Patrick’s Cathedral via Finglas?
Maybe he was just taking his Christmas taxi driver exam.
“That’ll be €100 mate!!”
Oh byyys you numpty. Someone will always moan no matter what they do. This van could be coming from a burglary, robbery or something more serious.
Dick head
Richard. Once noticed they will not slow at all. The red mist desends and they become a speeding lethal weapon. Soooooo the guard sees it heading for busy area ah sure I’ll just knock off the only warning the public have. My tea is waiting. Sure the fatal crash will be someone else’s problem.
This is why you are not in control of police pursuits. Leave it to the pro’s
Sit up clown…
And I thought we could have one article without people referencing the government!!!!
Ask the mother of the 6 year run over whether she would sooner have had the garda after him. He ran her over regardless
What about the little girl run over during tbe week , he wasn’t been chased
@Byyys back up what you are saying or shut up please.
Thank you.
@richard cynical cut down on the auld “pork life” there Dick….good lad.
Come back when ya something constructive to add.
Coppers are having a 2 for 1 on Heineken
Would this be the same Van that knocked down the 6 year old last week??
Did they catch them?
There’s a garda in hospital over this arrest.have some respect instead of making jokes!!
Di@k head
And I bet you he won’t pay his eflow bill aswell
What a monster.
Dean, not only will the eflow bill go unpaid, he will likely be out in time for a quick supper before going to see another car.
Hope the beat all shade of scutter out of the fools who they were chasing.
Time to stop treating these skank with softly softly politically correct justice.
Kick the flip out of them and ditch them in a remote hillside in the dark of night and send a message out.
Like the paramilitaries might do?
Loadsa reds but people say this and when it’s done they bemoan the thuggery involved. I’m not saying it should be done, just exposing the rank hypocracy.
Pity there was no tree to stop that f@@ker !!!
There’s a garda injured in hospital from that arrest.have some respect and stop making a laugh out of it!!
Twinks cat gone for a wander?
Twinks Dog…brilliant kudos Brian !!!
We’ve got a full tank of gas, half pack of cigarettes, it’s dark and we’re wearing sunglasses!
Maybe the reason so many guards chased the van was because there was a shooting on sat and sun night in the same area. They may have thought it was more than a coincidence
im going to speculate too them..its a van full of genuine Frozen dolls and the guards want them for xmas pressies…or something
What’s wrong with some folks here…(who do you call when you’re in trouble….ghostbusters???)… (chance that they will respond)…and have a magical self-wonderous idealist view from your Ivory Tower….me, I prefer to have guards or/ambulance when I’m in serious trouble. ..if some of you peeps here don’t like the fine line….feck off to North Korea…see the response to your nonsense there….
Time our Gardai be allowed to use lethal force against s-cum who threaten the lives of normal people
The Guards do an unbelievable job, it’s the justice system that fails us. We have one the best police forces in the world. A community based police, although they’re trying to take that away from us, closing rural stations etc. Our guards are our friends, neighbours, schoolmates and we never lost that and we shouldn’t now. Let’s be honest, we have fairly sound police, all my foreign mates love them. Because they are us.
So my point Stephen was let’s not try to turn our Guards into gun-wielding madmen.
They kidnapped santa
Or maybe they ripped off a van load D O’Bs water meters.?
Traffics been mental in Dublin all day but no sign of any Garda. As soon as they get word of a chase, half the bloody force comes out!
Smokey and the vandit
I hope the Garda is not too badly injured and will make a speedy recovery. However does it take 20+ garda vehicles to chase one van? Could they not talk to each other and maybe kettle the errant van? It does seem excessive even ridiculous that do many were involved in the chase. Maybe it was the chase they wanted or maybe it was a lot more serious than we know.
Or maybe it was some water protestors?
Either way I would love to know how many of these Garda drivers have been trained in this type of activity?
Always one tool who mentions water charges in every story!!!!!!!!
Very Valid point Eileen -Its not to long ago since an innocent driver was killed in Kildare in the same circumstances !! It seems excessive I think they wanted the chase and probably got caught up in the moment.
I was walking out toward Heuston at the time it was crazy the amount of cars pursuing for one Van.
Ah Eileen was the driver being chased trained in driving as he was. I like how you seem to ignore the fact that they were chasing a criminal and you only focused on the Gardaís actions. If the Gardaí didn’t chase this vehicle and it turned out that there was a kidnapped child in the back of the van what would your view be then.
Saw him speeding up through Thomas Street, with about 12 cars in the main procession and another 2 joining behind. Looked like a scene from a movie, madness haha. Some really nice undercover audis being used.
In high speed pursuits in the UK only a few cars are allowed to chase suspects and if their driving becomes too mental the police will break off the pursuit relying on the helicoptor to follow while they set up their stingers ahead of the vehicle if possible.Processions of several police vehicles are not allowed now, too dangerous.
Grand theft auto 6, South Dublin stories.
No doubt, this lout will be let out on bail despite his dangerous joyride. All the resources wasted on this idiot could have resulted in a catalog of accidents.
Stolen car
They’re probably chasing the Culture Club…………..
I’m going to speculate it’s a shooting or a heist.
Or banned driver with no insurance? ?? More than likely.
Why you think that
Hopefully not a false flag
We don’t want any of this type of poison this side of the Atlantic.
False flag? Are you actually for real? Go back under your tin foil hat.
They have already made their way to Australia.
Any excuse to ratchet up the Police State in the Western World.
Frank, tell us did the CIA blow up the Twin Towers?
Passed St Patrick’s Cathedral going down Kevin street about 30 minutes ago and there were more like 25 or 30 cars, vans, bikes, and jeeps involved. Seemed to be a primastar style van at the head of the procession.
Really..exaggerate much??
Darragh, you must be sick, you missed out on the National Geographic’s photo of the year by a measly week!
How he got that far without hurting anyone else is a miracle…..assuming he ran every red light on the way
The bleeding Gardaí were chasing a bleeding car thief in bleeding dublin past the bleeding horse pub!
Bleedin’ ×4.
Maybe he stole a water meter
or just a car!
Unless the van driver was speeding to begin with they should have left him off, if they couldn’t block him to begin with, and get him further down the line AWAY from the middle of suburbia. To enter a chase situation in the middle of a City if at all avoidable is reckless endangerment.
Ya charge all the guards with reckless endangerment
Mate of yours Anthony?
‘Let him off’?!? In a stolen van? So that this gouger can go off an commit even more crime. Yeah that’s a great idea alright.
Anthony, do you know who or what was in the Van, the Gardaí would be in a heap of sh!t if they let the van go and it was later used in a bombing, or turned out the was a kidnapped child/adult in the back. What would you have had the Gardaí do instead? As for blocking him and forcing him away from town, the Gardaí do not have the resources to do that…
Was the van driver delivering pizza, without proper commercial insurance?
“@ GardaTraffic: DMR South Traffic seize car, driver delivering food. Insurance policy clearly states social & domestic only”
Wasn’t funny the first time.
Was the driver of the van delivering pizza without proper commercial insurance?
“@GardaTraffic: DMR South Traffic seize car, driver delivering food. Insurance policy clearly states social & domestic only. http://t.co/7qcT9peRtF”
Van in Terenure Garda station
Having a busy night John Norton watching garda stations?
I hope he remembers to pay his toll.
Calling in a 10 64 waking a Garda while sleeping
Thats one less protecting irish water
Disgusting comment Shane, that horse looks embarrassed to be beside you
Arsehole
Bravo sir. Well done you. There’s always one complete knob head who has to mention IW in a totally unrelated article.
Anyone know about the van chase in Crumlin / Kimmage about 4pm today?
Rumour has it, is that it was the lads from “wheel fix it” on their lunch break just testing the new Garda fleet out and breaking them in,.
Also a strong rumour that the new 100 recruits were being shown the short cuts through Dublin @ rush hour, thats why there were jeeps involved ;-)
No surprise your avatar is pro SF/IRA !
Says the former government advisor and Fianna Fail member, if you can`t take a bit of sarcasm,just do one ;-)
Which city centre?
Could be a decoy,
Government government government government government government government government government horse box happy Christmas ya filthy animal.
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