The two car thieves who killed a security man guarding the Law Library underground car park in Dublin may have been seeking a high-powered car for use in a robbery, gardai suspect.
Mr Pat O'Donnell (51) died when the thieves rammed a heavy gate which fell on him. He died almost instantly from head injuries.
Garda Chris McGraw, who is attached to the Bridewell station, was hit by the stolen car and suffered a broken arm. He was treated in St James's Hospital.
The incident began at 4 a.m. when another security man watching monitors in the foyer of the library saw the intruders and alerted gardai at the Bridewell.
The two uniformed officers, Garda McGraw and Garda Robert Carney, arrived within a few minutes and made their way to the car park.
The thieves were apparently alerted by an alarm and stole a 1992 Volkswagen Golf which they drove towards the closed exit gate. They reversed and revved up the engine before driving again at the gate.
The car hit Garda McGraw before knocking the gate on top of Mr O'Donnell. He was married and lived in Hendrick Place, Dublin 7. He was from Cahir, Co Tipperary.
Chief Supt Nacey Rice, who is in charge of the South Central Division, said the car was later recovered in St Bricin's Park, less than half a mile away.
Chief Supt Rice appealed for assistance from anyone who was in the Smithfield/Church Street area between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. yesterday and who might have seen two men acting suspiciously around the Law Library.
He further asked for anyone who might have been in the St Bricin's Park/ Mountpellier Hill/O'Devanny's Gardens area between 4.10 a.m. and 4.30 a.m. and saw two men or the 92 D-registered Golf with frontal damage to contact gardai at the Bridewell station.
One of the thieves was described as being about five feet 10 inches tall, of medium build and wearing a black bomber jacket with white stripes and a woolly cap pulled down over his forehead. The other was shorter and of stocky build, wearing dark jacket and trousers and a cap.
It is believed the thieves broke into the car park, possibly by squeezing through the electronic security gates. They were armed with a "barrell popper", a device used to prize open car locks and a pair of bolt cutters which would have been used to cut through chains on driving wheels.
Garda sources said it was unusual for car thieves to go to such lengths and it is believed they intended to break into a specific car or steal a high-powered car, possibly for use in a robbery.
Gardai believe they were panicked by the arrival of the Garda McGraw and Garda Carney and stole the first car they could break into.