MEMBERS OF an armed gang who fired a shot when tackled by a salesman during a botched robbery on a jewellers have been arrested after their getaway car was pursued by gardaí in a high-speed chase for almost 20 miles.
The three men, who are from Limerick, were being held last night at Thurles and Nenagh Garda stations, both in Co Tipperary.
The raid occurred at 11.15am yesterday at Tadhg O’Flynn’s jewellers on Mitchell Street, Nenagh, when two masked raiders walked into the premises.
One of the men produced a revolver and threatened Tadhg O’Flynn jnr (28), who was working in his father’s shop. Mr O’Flynn tackled the man and managed to push him out of the shop.
As the confrontation was taking place the gunman discharged a shot before he and his accomplice ran to a waiting car, driven by a third man, and sped away.
Mr O’Flynn snr said his son had not been injured but had found the incident “traumatising”.
“The guy produced a gun – we think it looked like a revolver – and my son grappled with him out of the shop when the gun was fired. Then the two of them ran off. It could have been worse – at least nobody was injured.”
Mr O’Flynn said while his shop had been broken into twice, in 1987 and 1991, when it was locked for the night, it had never been held up during opening hours.
The two men who raided the shop left empty handed. A Garda car in the area pursued the getaway vehicle south on the Newport to Thurles road through Ballincurry and Grangeroe.
Other Garda vehicles joined the chase before the raiders’ vehicle was brought to a stop at a Garda roadblock at Curraghduff, Upperchurch, almost 20 miles from the scene of the attempted robbery.
The three occupants of the car, who are all in their 30s, were arrested at the scene.
They were detained under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act and are being held at Nenagh and Thurles Garda stations.
Yesterday’s chase and arrest operation was carried out by gardaí from Thurles and Newport stations.
The arrested men are from Limerick and are known to gardaí in the city. They can be held without charge for up to 72 hours.
The car the men used for the robbery has been taken away by gardaí for a forensic examination.