Masked men raid post office with hatchet and hammer

Gardaí are hunting for two men who threatened post office staff with a hatchet and a hammer during a raid yesterday in Cork City.

The men, who wore high-vis yellow jackets and motorcycle helmets, walked into the post office on High St, at the junction of Southern Rd and Capwell Rd, just before 9.30am.

They threatened staff and smashed a counter screen, before making off on a high-powered motorbike with a substantial quantity of cash. It is believed they fled via the South Link Rd west.

Gardaí were alerted and several Garda units in marked and unmarked cars responded. They spent several hours scouring the western suburbs for the suspects and their vehicle. Gardaí found the motorbike in the Ballincollig area but the men are still at large.

Detectives were canvassing several areas for buildings with CCTV in a bid to track the men’s movements.

They also issued an appeal for anyone who may have seen suspicious activity in the High St area before the raid, or who may have seen two men wearing high-vis jackets on a motorbike travelling at speed on the South Link Rd or South Ring Rd between 9.30am and 10am, or in the western suburbs, to contact Anglesea St Garda Station on 021 4522000.

Meanwhile, a 26-year-old man who was stabbed during a row on the city’s northside on Wednesday night discharged himself from hospital yesterday.

The man suffered stab wounds to his head, face, and upper body during a row with another man on Upper Castle Market St, just off Blarney St, shortly before 9pm.

The injured man retreated to a house where he was found a short time later by gardaí. He was taken to Cork University Hospital for treatment for non-life threatening injuries. No arrests have been made and the matter is still under Garda investigation.