'They came out of nowhere': Group assault youth on Luas in Dublin city centre

Passengers praised the driver of the Luas for his handling of the situation. 

Gardaí responded to reports of the incident on Parnell Street in Dublin. File Picture: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

Gardaí have begun enquiries after a youth was assaulted this evening on the Luas in Dublin city this evening. 

At around 5.40pm a group of nearly 20 youths boarded the busy tram at the Parnell Street stop in Dublin city centre and began assaulting another youth. 

Gardaí were alerted to the incident on the Green Line and the youths dispersed upon their arrival. 

A number of units from the gardaí were present at the scene of the assault which left passengers shaken. 

Reports circulating on social media described a large number of youths causing the tram to be stuck at the stop. 

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, a passenger, David described the disturbing incident as he was coming home from work. He said it was something he had never experienced before in his three years travelling on the Luas. 

"About 20 people stormed onto the Luas, younger, I honestly don't know, [...] early twenties at the eldest, they were screaming, shouting, fighting, they just kind of all formed into one, it was very difficult to figure out what was going on," he said. 

David praised the efforts of the Luas driver to contain the situation and said his handle of the incident was reassuring. 

"The driver called the police. He told that they were on CCTV and that the police were on the way. The driver was pretty incredible actually, he was very firm, very calm. He kept repeating that the police had been called, that the train wasn't going anywhere as long as they stayed on it, and reiterating the CCTV, he was absolutely fantastic," he said. 

David said the brawling group fled the scene soon after the Luas came to a halt and ran to the next stop. The driver then held the tram between the two stops for a period of time before continuing on the journey. 

"As they were running away from the Luas on Parnell, one of them was brandishing a butcher's knife, I don't know if it was real or if it was a prop, but it was a very large knife that he was holding out and running kind of in the direction of the group," he said. 

At no stage did security board the incident after the incident between Parnell Street and Sandymount, the final stop of the line. 

"No security came on the Luas at any stage for the remainder of the journey to Sandyford," he said. 

"It certainly felt like they came out of nowhere," he added and described the incident as a blur. He does not know what the cause of the assault was or how it started. 

At one point the group of youths entered his carriage of the tram but said the driver's repeated warnings of the CCTV was reassuring and convinced him it was safer to stay on the Luas. 

"From a passenger's perspective it would have been reassuring for security to come onboard maybe a stop or two down the line just to check on people and see how they were doing," he said. 

He hopes the incident will be investigated and taken seriously but remains undeterred from taking the Luas in the future.

"I hope that is investigated. I think it would be reassuring to passengers that this kind of thing is fully investigated so that they don't happen again," he said. 

Gardaí have not reported any injuries or arrests as of yet in relation to the incident.