Hunt continues for robber who escaped fatal getaway crash

GARDAÍ are to continue the search today for a robber who fled the scene of a fatal car crash in Co Louth at the weekend which left one of his accomplices dead.

Detectives carried out a number of dawn raids on homes on the northside of Dublin yesterday morning as they stepped up the hunt for the missing criminal. However, no arrests were made.

The identity of the man, who comes from the Darndale area, is known to gardaí, although his name is not being released publicly.

It is understood that security at airports and ferry terminals have also been alerted with his details, although investigators believe the man is still in hiding in Dublin.

The robber escaped after a stolen car in which he was travelling crashed following a chase through north Leinster in the early hours of Sunday morning.

He subsequently hijacked a Ford Fiesta from a nurse, which was discovered a few hours later in Darndale.

The three-man gang had earlier held up a filling station and supermarket at Broomfield, Co Monaghan, and made away with around 250 in cash.

Gardaí were alerted to the robbery and began a pursuit of the gang along the main N2 road between Dublin and Derry.

One of the robbers, Michael Brady, 24, from Belcamp, Coolock, died after the stolen Nissan Almera, which they held up along the route, crashed near the Ardee entrance to the M1 motorway on Sunday morning.

The dead man was a known criminal with more than 40 previous convictions, including armed robbery and car hijackings. He had been released from prison last April after serving a sentence for assault and the unauthorised taking of a car.

The second member of the gang is under guard at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda where he is receiving treatment for injuries sustained in the crash. Last night, his description was described as stable.

A garda spokesperson said he would face a court appearance “in due course”.