A 17-year-old boy is in a coma after being attacked by a group of people armed with improvised weapons in Dublin on Wednesday.
The attack occurred on Wednesday evening outside retail premises in Bluebell, Dublin 12.
The boy, who is from the Bluebell area, has undergone surgery and is currently in an induced coma. A garda spokesman described his condition as “serious”. It is understood he also suffered injuries to his neck.
Gardaí are currently searching the area for the weapons used in the attack. One source described them as improvised weapons which included sticks with blades attached.
The scene of the attack has been forensically examined and gardaí are examining CCTV footage from the area in an effort to formally identify the attackers.
The teen was walking to the shops with his friend on Wednesday when they exchanged words with another group of teenagers. A group of older males then arrived at the scene from a nearby area and started attacking the boy.
Local sources said the boy suffered extremely serious injuries during the brief attack before the assailants fled.
An ambulance arrived at the scene and paramedics attempted to stabilise the boy before bringing him to hospital along with his mother.
“They saved his life but he has probably suffered life changing injuries,” one source said.
Gardaí are confident they know who the attackers are and investigations are continuing.
Local Sinn Féin Councillor Daithí Doolan said the community is “frightened and traumatised” by the attack and urged anyone with information to contact gardaí.
“I want to wish the young man a full and speedy recovery. My thoughts are with him and his family at this difficult time.
“Those involved need to face justice. I would strongly encourage anyone with information to please contact the gardaí.
“The local community is in shock. People are very frightened by this terrible violence. We need to all work together to make sure an attack like this doesn’t happen again.”
Expressing his sympathy for the victim, Tommy Coombes, manager of Bluebell Community Development Project (BCDP) said: “He is such a young man. We have been engaging with the guards regarding serious antisocial behaviour in Bluebell. Similar to other communities around we’re under pressure with a lack of Garda presence. We’re constantly looking for more resources. The feeling on the ground is that this was going to happen, it was bound to happen.”
Mr Coombes said he did a PhD on the area a number of years ago, which identified significant fear among the older population, who said they were afraid to go outside after dark.
“What kind of a society are we creating when you have our most vulnerable afraid to go out after dark? Bluebell is quite a settled community, it has an older population, so when there is antisocial behaviour, it feels like your life is nearly over if you’re living next to it,” he said.
“There is a lot of impact, and fear is a huge one that drives people indoors. If you feel that your child is in danger after a 17-year-old gets attacked in broad daylight, then of course you’d wonder if it could happen to you. I think it’s a major problem for young people as well.”
A local resident, who did not want to be named for fear of being targeted by antisocial behaviour, said “for a long time, there’s been antisocial behaviour” in the area.
“It’s upsetting initially but you almost get used to it,” he said. “Elderly residents, in particular, are a bit cautious if they come across a group of youths. And most young people are lovely, but there are groups of them causing this [trouble].”
