Detectives seize firearm after high-speed pursuit
Armed gardaí arrest feuding gangland criminal following Limerick car chase
‘An object was thrown from car’
A GANGLAND criminal, who previously survived a gun attack on his life, is in Garda custody following a high-speed chase as he was transporting a gun to be potentially used in an underworld hit, the Irish Daily Mail can reveal.
The Limerick native is heavily involved in feuding in the city.
The well-known criminal, in his early 30s, was lucky to survive a gun attack which left him seriously wounded several years ago.
The chase started on Thursday night shortly before midnight. The criminal was spotted speeding by officers on patrol from Mayorstone Park Garda Station.
Officers spotted the suspect’s green Volkswagen Passat driving at high speed in the Ballynanty area in Limerick. It is understood that officers recognised the wellknown criminal’s car, and began an immediate pursuit. The suspect failed to stop, gardaí called for back-up, and the car was chased onto the Shanabooly Road, then back into Ballynanty.
Several marked and unmarked Garda cars were in pursuit at this
stage. Local officers called for back-up from the specialist Armed Support Unit, which sent cars to join the pursuit.
At the Shelbourne Road in Limerick city, the criminal threw a black bag containing a handgun and several rounds of ammunition out his car window. This was recovered by detectives.
The suspect continued to drive at speed before eventually ‘giving up’ in the small village of Parteen, as it became impossible to escape the number of Garda cars surrounding him.
A source said: ‘This criminal is a major player in Limerick feuding. The belief is he was transporting the gun to be used in an attempted assassination. He remains in custody being quizzed.’ There has been a marked increase in officers on patrol as part of policing measures to tackle the Covid-19 crisis. Gardaí released a statement on the chase yesterday, saying: ‘Shortly before midnight, uniformed gardaí from Mayorstone
Park Garda Station were on patrol when they attempted to stop a car in the Ballynanty area of Limerick. The car was then driven at high speed through a number of housing estates and a managed containment operation was carried out with the assistance of the Armed Support Unit.’
The statement continued: ‘During the operation, an object was thrown from the car and was recovered by gardaí. It was then discovered that the object was a suspected firearm along with a number of rounds of ammunition. The suspected firearm will now be sent for analysis.
‘The driver of the car, a man in his 30s, eventually stopped in the Parteen area of Co. Clare and was arrested by gardaí. The car that was used during the incident was seized and the man was brought to Henry Street Garda Station, where he is currently detained under Section 30 Offences Against the Station Act, 1939.’