An almost four-hour stand-off between gardai and a distressed man who allegedly threatened to harm a young baby, ended peacefully in Co Clare early on Saturday morning.
The alarm was raised at around 10.30pm on Friday night when gardai received a report of a man on a bridge holding a baby.
The man was reported to be in distress.
Gardai were mobilised to the scene in the Woodquay area of Ennis where they located the man. The National Ambulance Service and fire brigade were also alerted.
Units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Ennis station, including swift-water rescue technicians (SRTs), were mobilised to the incident as it was initially located by a river. Fire service personnel lined the riverbank as a precaution as it was feared the man might enter the water.
The man later left the area and made his way across town to Friar’s Walk followed by Gardaí. A number of Garda units and National Ambulance Service paramedics and an advanced paramedic rapid response unit converged on the area where the man later stopped.
A trained Garda negotiator and senior officers attended the scene and engaged the man in conversation in an effort to establish how they might be able to assist him.
Gardai closed the road as the incident continued while additional resources including the armed support unit (ASU) was requested to attend. Two units attended initially followed later by two more.
The man was later persuaded to step into the back of an ambulance with the baby. At around 2.15am, the incident was brought to a safe conclusion when the man was surprised and overpowered by Gardaí and the baby was quickly taken from him.
The man was restrained by officers and placed in a Garda van before being taken to Shannon Garda station for questioning. The baby was quickly taken into care by ambulance paramedics but is not believed to have been seriously hurt.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Gardaí were called to the scene of an incident in Ennis, County Clare at approximately 10pm on Friday 10th April 2020.
A number of Garda units were called to the scene as well as a Garda negotiator and the situation was resolved peacefully in the early hours of Saturday 11th April 2020. A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene and is currently being detained at Shannon Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.”
