‘Lucky no one hurt’ in high speed chase near busy Pairc Uí Rinn

Gardaí are set to resume questioning one man and are waiting for a second man to be discharged from hospital following a shooting incident and high speed pursuit through Cork city on Sunday.

Gardaí arrested a 29-year-old man from Turners Cross and a 25-year-old man from Gurranebraher when their car crashed near Pairc Uí Rinn yesterday afternoon as they were being pursued by gardaí.

The duo tried to evade capture by driving on the footpath along Boreenamanna Road on the city side of Pairc Uí Rinn but they were caught when they smashed into an ESB pole and came to a halt.

According to eye witnesses, it was a miracle that no one was injured as the duo came up from the Well Road at speed and ran into traffic attending the two hurling matches at Pairc Uí Rinn.

Crowds were pouring into the ground for Erin's Own vs Middleton and Glen Rovers vs Douglas in the two semi-finals of the Cork Senior Hurling Championship at around 1.50pm as the drama unfolded.

The duo in a Mitsubishi Lancer collided with two civilian cars and then smashed into two Garda cars trying to hem them in from front and rear before taking off along the footpath past Pairc Uí Rinn.

"They had slowed down at that stage when they mounted the footpath but the way they came up around Cork Con and into the match traffic at Pairc Ui Rinn, it was lucky no one was hurt," a Garda source said.

The 29-year-old passenger was arrested and taken to the Mercy University Hospital for treatment for injuries sustained in the crash while the 25-year-old driver was taken to Togher Garda Station.

Both men were arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act which allows gardaí detain suspects for up a maximum of 72 hours before they have to be charged or released.

Shooting

The 25-year-old man was questioned about a shooting incident around 1.15pm yesterday where a shot was fired by a man armed with a shotgun at a house on Noonan Road in Gilabbey.

No one was injured in the shooting but it is understood the family in the house were badly shaken by the incident and have left the house which was cordoned off by gardaí for a technical examination.

Two suspects fled the scene as gardaí were alerted and they drove first into Ballyphehane and on to Turners Cross and the South Douglas Road before crossing on to the Douglas Road.

They then drove up Well Road as garda units from all over the city responded to the shooting and they turned on to Boreenamanna Road before running into match traffic at Pairc Ui Rinn.

The men’s car which may have been borrowed from a friend, was later removed by gardaí to a secure location to allow Garda technical experts carry out a forensic examination of the vehicle.