Gardaí in Dublin were questioning a man last night following yesterday's extraordinary sequence of events in which a stolen bus careered through parts of the city, colliding with several other vehicles and causing the death of a woman in her early 60s.
Another 15 people needed hospital treatment, including a number of gardaí who were involved in a major pursuit to try to stop the bus. Members of the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) opened fire three times in a bid to make it stop.
Two people were still in Tallaght hospital last night but neither have life-threatening injuries. The events ended after several miles of pursuit when the bus crashed after it was driven back into the Dualway coach company depot in Rathcoole from which it was taken early yesterday morning.
A man was immediately arrested at the scene and taken to Tallaght hospital for treatment. He was released from hospital last night and taken to Kevin Street Garda station for questioning.
A driver employed by Dualway took the 53-seater coach from his employer's yard in Rathcoole at 6.30am yesterday. Six hours later, according to gardaí, the bus was spotted at 12.24pm near Heuston railway station by the son of the Dualway proprietor who challenged the bus to stop and was nearly run down.
A statement issued on behalf of Dualway last night said the company had no indication that anything like yesterday's events might happen. It said there was no row, dispute or disagreement between the company and the bus driver.
The 36-year-old driver who took the bus yesterday morning lives in Kiltalawn, Tallaght,
After being spotted near Heuston, the bus headed towards the city centre for a short time before speeding back towards the Rathcoole area up Davitt Road, through Inchicore, and along the Naas Road.
It broke a number of red lights and also travelled on the wrong side of the Naas dual-carriageway, speeding into oncoming traffic. At one point it crossed the Luas lines to avoid a Garda roadblock.
A number of Garda vehicles travelled in convoy in front of the speeding coach to warn oncoming traffic. Another group of Garda vehicles pursued it from behind, while the Garda helicopter tracked the high-speed chase from the air.
"It was incredible stuff, like something out of a movie," said one garda. An eyewitness described it as "like the OJ Simpson chase".
The bus collided with a number of vehicles at the Bluebell Luas stop. A woman passenger in a blue Nissan Micra was killed in one collision. The woman's daughter was driving at the time. The dead woman is believed to be in her early 60s and from Donnycarney.
A total of 15 Garda and civilian vehicles were hit by the coach. Three gardaí had to be cut from their van by firemen. Three other gardaí received medical attention after the car they were travelling in was dragged up to 200 feet by the speeding coach. It was trapped for a time on the front of the coach and was rammed into vehicles in its path.The chase involved up to 30 Garda vehicles from four stations.
After the fatal crash at Bluebell, the coach continued up the Naas Road. Before reaching the Red Cow roundabout members of the ERU opened fire twice in an effort to blow out the tyres of the vehicle.
The decision to use gunfire was taken after stinger devices were placed in the path of the coach but failed to deflate the new tyres.
Members of the ERU opened fire for a third time to stop the coach outside the Dualway yard, Rathcoole, from where it had originally been taken. However, the vehicle sped into the company's premises and only came to rest after crashing into a land bank.
Members of the Special Detective Unit and National Bureau of Criminal Investigation boarded the bus and arrested a man. A struggle ensued during which two gardaí were bitten by the man, who is believed to have been carrying a number of weapons, including a hatchet.
It is unclear what motive lay behind the events. The man who took the bus had been due to begin work at 9am. However, he turned up at 6.30am and after a row with colleagues took the coach from the yard without authorisation.
The man's colleagues contacted him a number of times by phone during the course of the morning, when he is believed to have taken the coach into Dublin city.
