Gardaí arrest man after escape from patrol car in handcuffs

A man who escaped in handcuffs from a garda patrol car after being arrested in connection with a riot in Cork city in the early hours of Thursday morning was picked up by gardaí yesterday afternoon.

The man had escaped while gardaí were trying to quell a riot in The Glen area on the northside of Cork city.

Gardaí, reported to have been responding to an unrelated call at 1.30am, were attacked by more than 30 youths hurling rocks, stones, bottles, and other missiles.

One garda suffered knee injuries after being hit by rocks but is expected to make a full recovery. Patrol cars were also damaged in the incident.

The crowd initially forced gardaí to withdraw from the area, but they returned a short time later with reinforcement units from both the city and county, from districts including Midleton, Fermoy, and Bandon.

It took until 3.45am before 20 gardaí managed to re-establish order in the area.

Four arrests were made, but one male who was handcuffed in the back of a patrol car managed to escape.

Gardaí issued an appeal and the young man was subsequently picked up yesterday.

Four men appeared in court yesterday in connection with the incident and charges in relation to violent disorder were preferred.

At least three of the charged are from The Glen area and are aged 18, 19, and 20.

Gardaí said the incident highlights the importance of securing adequate garda resources to allow the force to respond efficiently and reduce the opportunity for violence to escalate.