Gardaí eventually used a stinger device to bring the vehicle to a halt and rescued six children from inside the van.
A man in his 30s has been arrested by Gardaí after an incident in which a number of Garda vehicles were repeatedly rammed by a van in Cork.
In a statement, An Garda Síochána said that at approximately 9.45pm on Wednesday evening (28 September), Gardaí signalled for a van to stop in the Mahon area of Cork.
The van failed to stop and proceeded to ram a Garda vehicle. A short time later, the van stopped but when Gardaí attempted to engage with the driver, the Garda vehicle was rammed again.
Two additional Garda vehicles arrived at the scene and attempted to block the van but both vehicles were then rammed by the van. A number of additional Garda units responded and a managed containment operation ensued.
A stinger device was successfully deployed in the Carr’s Hill area of Cork and the vehicle was brought to a halt.
According to the Irish Times, alarm was initially raised when a member of the public notified Gardaí that they had seen a woman open the door of a van travelling on the N8 near Fermoy.
The male driver of the van was allegedly seen to be struggling with the woman, while there were children in the van seemingly under distress.
Eventually, after the managed containment operation outlined above and support from the Armed Response Unit, the vehicle was brought to a halt around 10.20pm and six children were rescued from the van.
A man, aged in his 30s, was arrested and later taken to Bridewell Garda Station, where he is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
The six children who were in the vehicle at the time, and their mother, were later taken to Cork University Hospital to be assessed but no serious injuries have been reported. An Garda Síochána continues to support and engage with all of these people at this time.
Two Garda members attended Cork University Hospital to receive medical treatment.
Extensive damage was caused to two official Garda vehicles and three other vehicles received minor damage following the incident.
All members involved are receiving support from their colleagues and local Garda Management and the wider organisational supports of the Peer Support Service, Chief Medical Officer and 24-hour counselling service have been provided if required.
Gardaí in Cork are investigating the endangerment of Garda members and related incidents and anyone with any information in relation to this incident or video footage is asked to contact Anglesea Garda Station on (021) 452 2000, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
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