A TEENAGER HAS been detained by gardaí after a 54-hour standoff at a Donegal house. 

Gardaí said that at around 5.45pm on Wednesday, officers at Letterkenny responded to a domestic incident at a home.

When they arrived, it emerged that a teenage boy had barricaded himself into the house. It was confirmed that he had access to firearms and ammunition. 

No other person was in the home at the time, gardaí said.

The scene was declared a barricade incident by Chief Superintendent Terry McGinn, and gardaí said protocols for such an incident were put in place.

A garda spokesman said: “At approximately 00.30am 22 February, the barricade incident was resolved peacefully following a tactical intervention by the Garda Emergency Response Unit. No persons were injured during this operation and a shotgun and ammunition has been safely secured at the scene.

“The male teenager has been arrested and is currently detained under section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a garda station inDonegal, where he is receiving medical assessment.”

“During the course of this 54 hour protracted barricade incident, uniform and plain clothes resources and specialist Garda Crisis Negotiators from Donegal division, were supported by Regional Armed Support units from the North Western Region and specialist units from An Garda Síochána Special Tactics and Operations Command (STOC) including Emergency Response Unit (ERU), National Negotiator Unit (NNU) and resources from garda headquarters.”