Five shots fired in dramatic raid attempt

A security guard was injured in a dramatic botched armed raid on a cash-in-transit van at Beechmount Shopping Centre in Navan last Friday morning. Up to five gunshots from a handgun were discharged during the incident, which took place in front of scores of horrified shoppers. Nobody was injured by the gunfire, but one of the security guards was beaten by one of the raiders and taken to hospital in Drogheda, but was released later that day. Terrified bystanders were afraid somebody would be killed and one quick-thinking business owner locked his premises to protect his customers and rang the Gardai after witnessing the raid. A G4S security van was delivering money to an ATM at the shopping centre on the Trim Road when the raiders made their move at around 11.15am on Friday morning. When the two security guards had got out of their van, two men wearing motorcycle helmets and dressed in dark clothing attacked them. The security guard who was carrying a cash strongbox was beaten by one of the men as they demanded they open the box. The second raider pointed a handgun at the other security man's head and ordered him to open the cash box. When he told him he didn't have the key, up to four shots were fired at the box on the ground, while another was fired at the rear of the van. The cash box had been fitted with a dye device that explodes if forced open and, as the dye began seeping out of the box, the two raiders fled the scene empty-handed on a motorbike. They drove through a pedestrian access onto the Trim Road and the motorbike was found abandoned a short time later in the overflow car park at the Ardboyne Hotel on the Dublin Road. The culprits were seen fleeing from that car park in a grey saloon-type car. No money was taken or destroyed during the botched raid. The incident happened during a very busy shopping period at the centre. Donough Fenton, who runs the coffee shop had a number of customers, including children, in the premises when the incident began. "I saw the two lads in motorcycle helmets and jumpsuits pushing the security guard against the wall and I thought it was a prank at first. Then I heard the shot outside and saw the gun, so I brought my customers into the kitchen, locked the door and rang the Gardai," he said. "There was a lot of screaming and shouting. People were very frightened," he added. One elderly man who was coming out of the centre when the incident occurred said it had been very frightening. "I just heard the gunshots and everybody started screaming. You wouldn't believe something like this could happen here. They think nothing of shooting people these days," he said. The scene of the raid was sealed off on Friday morning and a Garda forensic team carried out an extensive examination of the area. According to Supintendant Michael Devine, an investigation team has been put in place and extensive searches have been carried out. "We carried out house-to-house enquiries and examined CCTV footage from the scene and along the escape route, and the investigation is progressing," he said. The Gardai are appealing for anyone with any information in relation to the raid to contact Navan Garda Station or to contact the Garda Confidential line on 1800 666 111.