A middle-aged woman was left "terrified" after a gang of teen thugs "effectively hijacked" a DART station and intimidated passengers.
The frightening incident took place at around 8pm on Tuesday evening at the Donaghmede/Howth Junction station.
A gang of around 15 youths armed with sticks and poles are reported to have blocked the exits and mocked and laughed at commuters as they tried to leave.
One witness told Dublin Live that a middle-aged woman was left badly shaken by the shocking behaviour of the gang.
He said: "One woman was trapped inside on her own in the hall looking confused and terrified when I arrived and guided her to the exit on the far side.
"That is a significant walk away and also leaves commuters way off their course on a dark cold night.
"I think a staff member should have done this, or asked her did she want to wait inside their offices until the situation resolved itself.
"That's if he was not going to directly intervene with the effective hijacking of the building."
He added he was disappointed at the lack of response from staff at the station.
He said: "Staff are always present, for the times this station is open, in two separate offices, so definitely were in the offices for certain, as they have to be buzzed in order to allow commuters to access the lifts, and commuters were buzzing the staff and the staff were responding giving access too the lifts in response.
"But no staff member even came out to assist or advise trapped commuters."
And he slammed the "spineless cowards" who mocked and laughed at passengers while they blocked the exits.
"What shocks me most is that they were mocking and embarrassing and frankly terrifying a middle-aged woman on her own on a dark winters night, on her way home to her family.
"These were not tough guys. These were pathetically weak and particularly nasty, devious, spineless cowards."
A garda spokeswoman confirmed they had attended the scene in response to the disturbance.
Dublin Live has contacted Irish Rail for comment.
