Six people have been arrested and three men are to appear in court in September after vehicles - including an ambulance - were stoned from an overbridge on the M7 Motorway.
During the incident the ambulance which was returning from dropping a patient to Limerick University Hospital, had its windscreen smashed by a falling rock.
The ambulance was among a number of vehicles including three trucks and a four-wheel drive which were struck by rocks as as they passed along the motorway near Birdhill Co Tipperary, shortly after midnight in the early hours of Thursday.
It is understood the ambulance contained two paramedics and was returning to Roscrea when it came under attack. The incident occurred between junctions 26 and 27 of the M7, between Birdhill and Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
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None of the drivers of the vehicles was seriously injured, according to the Garda.
Gardaí said they were alerted at 12.10 am on Thursday to reports of rocks being flung from the bridge and three units of gardaí from Newport, Roscrea and Nenagh were sent to investigate. In a statement the Garda said reports had been received that five vehicles had been damaged by rocks.
The three Garda units later located a vehicle travelling southbound on the M7 with five occupants visible on board. Following a search of the vehicle a sixth passenger was located in the boot. He was described as a 13-year-old male “with an amount of rocks”.
The six, aged from 13 to 25 years included three adult men and one woman. The two juveniles who were understood to be brothers were released into the guardianship of their grandparents.
All four adults were arrested and questioned. The three male prisoners were then charged with the offences of criminal damage and are due to appear at Nenagh District Court on September 21. The female was released without charge.
