Motorists terrorised by gang throwing missiles from roof of apartment block
By Mary Dennehy
MOTORISTS and pedestrians were left terrified last week when a gang of teenagers hurled rocks and a fire extinguisher off the roof of a Tallaght village apartment block, smashing in the back window of one car stopped at lights.
According to people living and working in the area, teenagers who aren’t residents of the complex have been getting into the Priorsgate apartment complex and throwing missiles from the roof down onto the busy road below.
One Tallaght resident who had her back window smashed in by a rock while waiting at traffic lights last week, told The Echo: “I was in the car with my partner and we had just stopped at the lights into Tallaght village from the bypass and all of sudden we heard loud bangs and then the window came in.
“We didn’t know what was going on, we thought it was shots coming through the windows.
“We jumped out of the car and, even though we were standing on the road looking up, they kept throwing rocks down – they didn’t care. They even threw down a fire extinguisher.”
She added: “I really couldn’t believe what I was seeing, there were people running everywhere trying to dodge the rocks and drivers speeding off not knowing what was going on.
“I usually have my little fella in the back seat and thankfully when this happened he wasn’t with me.
“This was a really terrifying experience and it poses a huge safety risk to people living in the village and those visiting it – especially if there had been a baby or young child in the back of any of the cars hit.
“This apartment block needs to be secured and something has to be done by the gardaí.”
According to reports, young people are getting into the apartment block through a back door – which gives them access to the roof.
However, the management company did not reply to The Echo in time for print so we cannot confirm if this is the access point being used.
When contacted by The Echo, a senior Garda source said: “Gardaí did attend the scene and one juvenile was identified and a report prepared for the Juvenile Liaison Office.
“We would be discouraging any young person from engaging in this type of activity.
“Not only is it seriously endangering members of the public but these young people are putting their own lives at risk by going up onto the roof.”
The source added: “Gardaí and the station’s crime prevention officer will also communicate with the management company to try and help them to secure the building and stop people who don’t live there from accessing it.”
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