A man who allegedly hijacked a car in Northern Ireland with a teenage girl inside has been arrested by gardaí in Dundalk, Co Louth, following a high-speed cross-Border chase.
The car was parked on Botanic Avenue when it was stolen. It is not clear if the suspect was aware the girl (17) was inside at the time. The teenager managed to escape when the car stopped in Lisburn, and the driver then drove at speed towards the Border.
The car was later seen driving at high speed on the A1, which continues as the N1/M1 in the Republic. The PSNI alerted Border gardaí per standard protocol and an interception operation was put in place. The driver (25) was detained by gardaí in Dundalk early on Saturday morning.
In a statement, the PSNI said: “Police received a report on Saturday 28th September that a vehicle which had been parked in the Botanic Avenue area, had been stolen with a female passenger still in the car.
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“The car stopped on the Saintfield Road, Lisburn where the girl escaped from the vehicle.
“The car was observed a short time later driving at speeds in excess of 100mph (160km/h) on the A1 and officers made contact with our colleagues in An Garda Síochána (AGS) to inform them the vehicle was driving towards the Border.
“At around 2.20am on Saturday 28th September, we received a report from AGS to say they had located the stolen car and had arrested a 25-year-old man in Dundalk, he remains in custody at this stage.
“The victim was not injured but left shaken by her ordeal. Thankfully we are not dealing with any casualties after some very dangerous and reckless behaviour by the suspect involved.
“Excellent co-operative work between ourselves and our colleagues in the An Garda Síochána have ensured this vehicle was recovered and the suspect was arrested.”
Gardaí said the car entered the Republic on the N1 southbound and was later located on the Newry Road in Dundalk, Co Louth. The man arrested is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
“The vehicle was seized by gardaí and removed for technical examination,” gardaí added.
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