THREE ALLEGED MEMBERS OF a car theft gang have been arrested in Dublin on Sunday evening after a chase involving garda patrol cars, a helicopter and the armed support unit.

Gardaí in Coolock arrested three men following the pursuit, a garda spokesperson said.

Sources have said that gardaí believe the gang is linked to an incident in Malahide this weekend in which the home and car of a householder were attacked when he confronted the gang. 

A video of the incident has circulated on social media and shows the man confronting two car thieves who broke into his car parked in the driveway of his home.

The victim ran out of his house and when trying to assess what had happened the gang arrived back at his property in numbers, armed with golf clubs. They smashed his house window and the car.

They could be heard shouting to the householder to give him the keys of the Volkswagen car parked in the driveway.

It is understood after the Sunday night arrest golf clubs were found in the car. 

Shortly after 7pm on Sunday, while gardaí were on patrol as part of ongoing investigations into a series of burglaries and incidents of criminal damage in North Dublin, they “observed a vehicle with multiple occupants on Naul Road near Dublin Airport”.

The Volkswagen Golf failed to stop and was pursued by gardaí.

“A coordinated response was launched, involving several local and divisional Garda units from across the DMR, including the Armed Support Unit (ASU) and Air Support,” the spokesperson said. 

“The vehicle came to a stop on the M50 near Clondalkin, where three males—two in their 20s and one juvenile in his mid-teens—were subsequently arrested.”

The three are now being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984 at garda stations in north Dublin.

The car, which had been reported stolen during a recent burglary in the Santry area, was recovered and brought for technical examination.

Gardaí said no injuries were reported and that investigations are ongoing.