TWO MEN HAVE been arrested after a dramatic chase through three counties during which a garda vehicle was repeatedly rammed by a getaway car.

The garda helicopter was called in as the search for three burglary suspects unfolded in the small village of Ballinalee in Longford on Saturday evening.

The incident began when a man entered a shop in Ballinalee just before 6pm on Saturday and stole a sum of money. The man left in a getaway car parked outside with two other occupants.

Two garda patrol cars responding to a call gave chase to the car as it left the scene and indicated for it to stop, but the car continued driving towards Leitrim, repeatedly ramming one of the garda cars along the way.

The car was eventually stopped near Mullingar with the assistance of local garda units. A 30-year-old man was arrested at the scene.

The Garda Air Support Unit was called in to help find the other suspects, and after what gardaí described as a lengthy search, a 19-year-old man was also arrested. The third suspect remains at large.

Both men have been detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, with one being held in Granard garda station and the other at Longford garda station.

They are expected to appear before Longford District Court in the morning charged in connection with the incident.