Members of a suspected burglary gang were arrested after being caught at a Garda cordon put in place in a remote part of Leitrim in connection with a violent incident overnight.
One suspect was in hospital on Wednesday and a number of injured gardaí also underwent medical treatment after a Garda car was rammed and one of the gang’s vehicles was crashed as the suspects tried to flee.
At one point in the early hours Leitrim gardaí called in a Coast Guard helicopter to aid in the search for the suspects as the Garda helicopter had been dispatched to search for joyriders in the north east.
The series of dramatic incidents in Leitrim began when local gardaí patrolling the Mohill area came upon a number of men just after 4.30am.
The gardaí on the scene approached the men, who were suspected of carrying out burglaries in the area. However, when the Garda patrol car got closer, one of the gang’s cars was driven at speed at the patrol car, ramming it.
The gang members then switched into a second vehicle and sped from the scene towards Drumlish, as the injured gardaí in the rammed patrol car radioed for assistance.
The raiders crashed their car as they sped towards Drumlish and when that vehicle was found by gardaí one of the suspects was discovered injured still in the vehicle.
Appeal
That injured man, who is in his 30s, was taken from the scene by ambulance to Sligo General Hospital where he remains with serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.
The other suspects fled from the crashed car on foot, resulting in a Garda cordon and checkpoints being established in the area in a bid to catch them.
Malin Coastguard was also drafted in to provide a helicopter to assist in the search for the men.
That operation resulted in the arrests of three suspects, two in their 30s and one in his 20s, at Tamlaght Mor, Mohill, at about 9.25am on Wednesday.
They were taken to Carrick-on-Shannon Garda station where they were being questioned under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act. A fifth suspect was still being sought by investigating gardaí.
“Gardaí are appealing for anyone who was travelling along the Mohill to Drumlish Road approximately 1km from Mohill who may have seen individuals on that road to make contact with them,” a Garda statement said.
“In particular they wish to speak with anyone who may have given a lift to an individual or people this Wednesday morning.”
Anyone who may have been recording dashcam footage in the area was also asked to contact the Garda.
