A man is due to appear in court later today charged with a number of offences alleged to have occurred in several counties after he attempted to evade a Garda checkpoint in Co Clare last night.
Members of the Clare divisional roads policing unit had been deployed as part of ‘Operation Surround’, part of An Garda Síochána’s national Road Safety Month of Action targeting road traffic offences.
Shortly after 8.00pm, while Gardaí were checking vehicles in the Smithstown area of Shannon, a vehicle was seen turning back from the checkpoint.
A second Garda patrol, located nearby for such eventualities, quickly intercepted the Saab. The driver was arrested and taken to Shannon Garda station for questioning. The other occupants of the car were not detained.
During the course of follow-up investigations, Gardaí established that the vehicle was suspected of being involved in a number of incidents in several counties.
The man has since been charged with alleged offences including theft, understood to have occurred in Dublin, Waterford, Tipperary and Clare.
The car was also seized by Gardaí while investigations continue. It’s understood that further charges under the road traffic act will be preferred against the driver at a later stage.
The man is due to appear before a special sitting of the district court in Nenagh, Co Tipperary later today.
