Limerick stand-off brought to close

A 38-year-old man was arrested late last night after a stand-off in Limerick city with gardaí which lasted several hours.

The man is being held at Henry Street garda station.

About 20 gardaí, including the armed Regional Support Unit, detectives and uniformed officers, set up camp outside an apartment on John’s Street in the city for several hours after receiving a report that a man had barricaded himself into the building with a child hostage. The street was also closed off.

A senior garda confirmed a “trained negotiator” was deployed to try to talk to the man. A senior garda trained to deal with sieges was also drafted in.

Locals in the built-up residential area said the man had threatened to throw a child from a window, However gardaí later said the man was alone in the apartment. They believe he barricaded himself into the apartment when he re-entered it after earlier being evicted.

“It seems he went back into the apartment to get some property he said he owned and he barricaded himself in then,” said a Garda source.

No-one was injured in the incident.