Gardaí have foiled an early morning armed robbery in south central Dublin after a man carrying a firearm pointed it at a taxi driver and demanded money.
The attacker also assaulted the driver before fleeing with stolen property.
However, a number of gardaí arrived on the scene and chased the raider on foot, catching him and placing him under arrest. A firearm and the items the suspect had stolen from the driver were all recovered at the scene.
The incident occurred at about 2.45am on Wednesday when the driver was working in the Mill Street area of Dublin 8.
As the driver was waiting for a fare, the attacker approached on foot, pointed his gun at him and demanded money.
In a statement, the Garda said the attacker beat the driver oin the body and face as he robbed him.
“The male gunman fled the scene as gardaí arrived. A short foot pursuit ensued and he was arrested. All property was recovered along with the firearm,” the statement added.
The driver was taken to nearby St James’s Hospital where he was treated for his injuries, though they were described as non-life threatening.
The suspect, a man in his 20s, was taken to Kevin Street Garda station for questioning under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, which allows for him to be held for up to 72 hours without charge.
The firearm has been sent for ballistics testing and the driver's taxi was also due to be forensically examined on Wednesday by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.
