Pubdate: Sun, 13 Apr 2014
Source: Sunday Independent (Ireland)
Copyright: 2014 Independent Newspapers Ltd
Contact:  http://www.independent.ie/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/434
Author: Ken Foy, Crime Correspondent

DRUG DEALER TOP SUSPECT IN GUN ASSAULT ON GARDA

A Notorious Drug Dealer Is One Of 12 Suspects For An Assault Which
Saw A Detective Pistol-Whipped.

The criminal has been identified by gardai as a main suspect after a
detective who was held at gunpoint was beaten unconscious by the
assailant with a gun in a Dublin park.

The middle-aged detective, who is attached to Sundrive Road garda
station, was knocked unconscious in the attack at Ravensdale Park in
Kimmage on March 25.

While he is making a good recovery from his injuries, an intensive
garda investigation into the incident is continuing.

Sources have revealed that the assault has been uploaded on to the
garda's internal G-tube channel which is on the force's computerised
Pulse system that allows thousands of officers the opportunity to
identify the suspect.

ADDICT

This has led to more than a dozen nominations, including a Ballyfermot
gangster who previously served a lengthy jail sentence for heroin dealing.

The career criminal is a heroin addict with a violent criminal
pedigree and has been in and out of jail for more than two decades.

The Herald previously revealed that the detective was "extremely
lucky" that he was not carrying his own firearm at the time of the
incident.

He was on his own when it is believed he saw some suspicious activity
described as a hand-over between two men at around 8pm on the date in
question.

He then drove up to the two people and identified himself as a
detective, but a gun was pulled on him and he was later |assaulted.

The well-respected detective also did not have his garda
radio.

CCTV footage from the park shows that when the detective showed his ID
card and announced he was going to carry out a drug search, the
suspect produced a handgun and threatened the officer.

The gunman demanded that the detective hand over his firearm and
police radio.

SHOCK

The officer was then forced to walk to a darkened corner of a nearby
green where he was robbed of his ID, notebook and the keys to the
squad car which was not stolen.

He was beaten, and although dazed and in shock he eventually made it
back to his patrol car and activated a panic alarm to call for assistance.

G-Tube, which is what the garda 'Youtube' initiative is known as, is a
video streaming service for the force which is available to officers
nationwide.

Certain CCTV and crime footage is uploaded on to it and it can be
viewed through Pulse, the internal garda intelligence system.

The hi-tech system came into operation in the first months of last
year.

It is a joint-initiative by the criminal intelligence officers' office
and the garda information and communications technology section.
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