Four men are in custody in garda stations in Portlaoise and Tullamore this evening after a garda car was rammed and two gardaí injured in an incident in Co Laois.
The two gardai were injured this afternoon when their patrol car was involved in a head-on collision with a car.
The injured gardaí, a man and woman who are both stationed at Portlaoise, are not believed to have sustained life-threatening injuries.
They were taken to hospital along with one of the four occupants of the second car.
The male garda has been released from hospital, while his female colleague is being detained overnight for observation.
The collision occurred at Pallas, on the Mountrath Road outside Portlaoise, as gardaí were pursuing a car at around 3pm.
The garda car was hit on the driver's side by a BMW, which then cross the road and overturned.
One man was arrested as he got out of the BMW, while three others ran into a nearby field before being arrested a short distance away.
Three are being medically assessed at Portlaoise Garda Station. The fourth is in an unknown condition in hospital.
The two gardaí are understood to be badly shaken following their ordeal.
A senior garda said the "car suspected of being involved in a number of burglaries in Cork rammed one of our patrol cars head on".
Gardaí in Portlaoise have notified the office of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission.
GSOC has said that it has been informed of the collision and has sent a team of investigators to the scene.
