Gardaí have appealed to the public for assistance in tracing the movements of an allegedly stolen truck that was apprehended when an armed officer fired a shot at the cab after the driver rammed two patrol cars while trying to flee.
Detectives in Bandon in west Co Cork are hoping that people may have seen the white rigid DAF truck as it was driven along the N71 from the Pike outside Clonakilty back to Bandon, and later via a series of back roads to Lehanaghmore in Togher.
The driver, a 36-year-old Hungarian national living in Cork city, allegedly stole the truck sometime around 7am on Wednesday at the Pike and drove it back to Bandon, arriving there at around 8am before then heading for Cork city at around 10am.
Gardaí mounted a checkpoint at the Half Way between Innishannon and Cork to apprehend the driver, but he ignored directions to stop and drove on. He travelled back to the city pursued by gardaí on the R613 via Ballinhassig village and Fivemilebridge between 10.10am and 11am.
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The man then travelled towards Lehanaghmore and Forge Hill, where he pulled into the car park of a commercial premises. When gardaí went to try and apprehend him he rammed two Garda cars and tried to drive off.
Senior gardaí decided to deploy members of the Armed Support Unit in an attempt to contain the vehicle. A member of the unit was directed to discharge a shot at the cab of the truck, which hit the windscreen and forced the driver to stop. He was then arrested.
The man was brought for questioning to Bandon Garda station, where he was detained under section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. He can be held for up to 24 hours, but it is understood that he suspended his questioning overnight and has to be charged or released on Thursday afternoon.
Gardaí have appealed to anyone who was travelling on the N71 or the R613 between 7am and 11am and saw the white rigid DAF truck and may have camera or dash cam footage of the lorry to contact Bandon station on (023) 885 2200.
