Artist faces 'agonising' eye surgeries after being assaulted in Limerick city

Tobi Omoteso was "chased down" before his car was struck with a wooden bat

Gardaí are investigating.

Gardaí are investigating after a man was blinded in one eye following an assault in the city.

Tobi Omoteso was assaulted on Saturday in the Old Cratloe Road area of Limerick city.

Mr Omoteso said he was "tailed through the streets of Limerick" after packing up his car following a hip-hop community festival.

"It was a day meant for music, DJs, street dance, movement, graffiti, art, unity and having fun for all regardless of race, religion, gender, age and ability. Instead, it became the end of life as I knew it.

"As I tried to leave my estate, a man sat waiting in his car at the exit. He was parked carelessly, tires on the footpath, trapping traffic and creating a chaos in an already small space, with road works. After a brief exchange of gesture, something snapped in him. He chose me.

"He tailed me through the streets of Limerick, chasing me toward a well-known roundabout where he finally forced his way in front of me, swerving to cut off any hope of escape. I watched, paralyzed, as he stepped out of his vehicle wielding a wooden bat," Mr Omoteso explained on a fundraiser page. 

Mr Omoteso said the man struck his car with a wooden bat, shattering the driver's window of his car in the process. This led to shards of glass like "tiny knives, sprayed across my face and buried themselves deep into both of my eyes".

Tobi Omoteso was assaulted in Limerick city on Saturday, March 28.

He said the assault resulted in a "long" road of surgeries, to "cling to a fraction of the vision" he once "took for granted".

Mr Omoteso added his iris was "sliced in half" and had to be stitched back together, and that he now has an "onset cataract and a ruptured lens capsule", both of which must be surgically removed.

"I am currently facing the first of four major emergency operations. Even if every single procedure is a success, I will never see the world clearly again, which ultimately affects my job, work, dance, social interaction and confidence," he said.

Over €35k have been raised for Tobi Omoteso in less than 24 hours on a fundraising page.

A Garda spokesperson told the Irish Examiner they received a report of an alleged incident of assault and criminal damage which occurred in the Old Cratloe Road area of Limerick city on Saturday 28th March 2026 at approximately 10.30am.

"A car has been reported as damaged. A male in his 30s suffered serious injuries during the incident," the spokesperson added.

Investigations are ongoing.