A YOUNG garda sustained life-threatening injuries early yesterday after being stabbed during a street festival.
Garda Daryl Mullen, a member of the divisional drugs unit in Co Mayo, sustained a single knife wound in the stomach in an incident at James Street, Westport, shortly after 1am.
The officer, who is in his early 30s, was rushed to Mayo General Hospital in Castlebar, where he underwent emergency surgery.
His condition in the hospital’s intensive care unit was said last night to be “stable but serious”.
According to Supt Michael Murray, the incident occurred when Garda Mullen and three colleagues approached a youth at the entrance to a car park in James Street.
Supt Murray said officers noted what appeared to be the handle of a knife sticking out from beneath the young man’s armpit.
Gardaí say the suspect made several swings at Garda Mullen as if trying to stab him several times but apparently only one knife lunge connected.
After the stabbing, the suspect ran away but was subsequently arrested following a chase at the nearby South Mall.
The knife believed to have been used in the attack has been recovered by investigating officers.
The arrested youth was held under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.
His period of detention was initially for six hours, but this was extended just after 7am by Supt Murray for a further six hours.
The stabbing, which has been strongly condemned by community leaders, occurred during the Westport Music Festival, which has been running in the town all weekend. The savagery of the attack has shocked gardaí as well as the local community.
“Westport is normally a peaceful town,” Supt Murray explained.
“On the normal level of incidents locally this was totally off the Richter Scale.”
The injured garda is a native of Tuam, Co Galway.
He has been based in the Mayo area since he graduated from Templemore Garda training college in 2002.