Man with fake handgun arrested outside Cork crèche

Gardaí in Cork have arrested a 39-year-old man after he was found waving an imitation handgun in an agitated state outside a crèche in Cork city on Monday morning.

Gardaí were alerted around 9am when parents bringing children to the crèche on Cushing Place, Farranree, on the city’s north side, spotted the man acting erratically holding a handgun.

Two uniformed members of An Garda Síochána arrived on the scene and requested backup from the Regional Support Unit. Armed members drew their weapons and ordered the man to drop the handgun. The man surrendered his gun, which turned out to be an imitation firearm.

The man who has not been identified was arrested under the Mental Health Act and brought to the Mercy University Hospital where he is being held for treatment. Nobody was injured in the incident.