Garda injured after being carried on vehicle that sped away from checkpoint

A garda who attempted to stop a motorist fleeing from a checkpoint in Co Kildare on Friday night was carried on the vehicle for a period before falling from it. The garda suffered head and upper body injuries and was hospitalised.

The Irish Times understands the injured garda was leaning into the vehicle through an open window when the driver accelerated, carrying the garda for a distance of about 50 metres.

The driver of the car, who fled as gardaí at the checkpoint were about to seize his vehicle, was later involved in a crash and has since been arrested for questioning.

Gardaí investigating the incident, which is being treated as “endangerment”, are now trying to gather information about the suspect’s movements and driving on Friday night and have appealed for members of the public to come forward.

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The incident occurred at about 11.45pm on Friday when gardaí from Leixlip Garda station stopped a driver in a car on the R403 close to the Barberstown Roundabout in Straffan.

Gardaí engaged the driver and examined the car and were in the process of seizing it, under the Road Traffic Act, when the driver sped off. One of the gardaí on the scene attempted to stop the man, at which point the garda was carried on the vehicle.

“The male garda member was taken to Naas General Hospital for treatment of head and upper body injuries. He has since been released from hospital to recover at home,” Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, said in a statement.

The driver of the car crashed it in Straffan village, a short distance from the checkpoint scene, and then abandoned the car and fled on foot. However, garda units quickly began a search of the area and a man in his 20s was arrested on Saturday morning. He was being detained on Sunday at Leixlip Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act.

Gardaí are appealing to drivers who were in the Straffan-Barberstown Cross areas, or who were in and around Straffan Village, between 11:40pm on Friday and 12:15am on Saturday to come forward. The investigation team at Leixlip Garda statement is particularly interested in dashcam footage recorded by drivers in the area at the relevant times.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident at the weekend, in Dublin, a driver who was being sought by gardaí on Saturday night crashed his car through roadside barriers and hit three pedestrians, two of whom sustained serious injuries.

As the driver of the car had an interaction with members of the Garda just before the crash, the matter has been referred by Garda Headquarters, Phoenix Park, Dublin, for investigation. The Garda force must refer any incident in which a member of the public is injured or dies at or around the time they have had any interactions with gardaí, however fleeting.

The incident in Dublin 8 occurred on Saturday at about 11.20pm when the driver, who gardaí believe was trying to evade a patrol car, crashed his car while turning onto Thomas Court from Thomas St. He crashed his vehicle through a number of kerbside barriers before mounting the pavement and hitting three men on foot.

Two of the male pedestrians were treated at the scene by paramedics before being brought to St James’s Hospital for further treatment. While they were seriously injured, their lives were not at risk. The third man did not required medical treatment.

A video of the incident circulating on social media showed the front of the car was very badly damaged while one of the injured men was laying on the pavement surrounded by people who had gone to his aid.

The driver of the vehicle, a man in his 30s, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving. He was due to appear before the courts on Monday morning. The area where the incident occurred was sealed off and was examined by the Garda Technical Bureau. Anyone who recorded video footage in the area between 11pm and 11.20pm was asked to contact investigating gardaí in Kevin St.