Gardaí hunt for driver after officer injured and patrol car rammed

Stephen Maguire

Gardaí are hunting for a dangerous driver after an officer Garda was injured and another had to jump for cover in Co Donegal.

The officer was injured when a patrol car was rammed at Higginstown Cross, Ballyshannon in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The offending car, a red Skoda Fabia with a partial registration number of 05 DL, left the scene of the incident.

The extent of the Garda's injuries have not been released.

A Garda spokesperson confirmed that a patrol car was rammed and one Garda member was injured.

"During the course of the incident another Garda member was forced to seek cover when the car drove at them. This member was not injured."

Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to this collision to come forward.

Camera footage

The spokesperson added "Road users with camera footage (including dash-cam) who were travelling in the vicinity at the time of the collision are asked to make it available to investigating Gardaí.

"Gardaí are particularly interested in any sightings of this vehicle in the Ballyshannon, Donegal Town and Mountcharles areas."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Ballyshannon Garda Station on (074) 974 0190, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

President of the Garda Representative Association, Brendan O'Connor said this incident again showed how Gardai were exposed to danger on a regular basis.

He said: "This incident again highlights the dangers our members are being exposed to with alarming regularity.

"The public and our elected representatives were shocked and outraged when footage of such incidents was shared on social media recently yet many of these incidents which are life threatening go unnoticed and unreported.

"The incident in Ballyshannon like many such incidents goes unrecorded which puts investigators at a disadvantage. This is down to a lack of investment in equipment."