Man dies after arrest in stolen car probe
A 20-year-old man who died after falling unconscious in a Garda station cell had been arrested after being spotted in a stolen car, an inquest heard today.
Terrence Wheelock, from Sean O’Casey Avenue in Dublin’s Summerhill, died in hospital after he apparently attempted to hang himself at Store Street Garda station in the capital.
Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard Mr Wheelock was arrested along with three others on June 2, 2005 on suspicion of unauthorised taking of a car.
Garda Tadgh O’Leary, from Fitzgibbon Street Garda station, said gardai received a phone call from a woman on that day to report a car being brought into a back yard at Sean O’Casey Avenue and being covered with a sheet.
Garda O’Leary had a check run on the black Toyota Yaris, and the owner in Donnybrook confirmed it had been stolen.
He later spotted four young men in the car.
“Terrence Wheelock, who was known to me, jumped from the passenger seat,” he said.
“All four youths ran from the car into the back door of the house.”
Gardaí confirmed all four were surrounded in the square at the front of the house by officers and gave themselves up.
The inquest heard Mr Wheelock and another man were brought to Store Street Garda station.
At that point, Garda O’Leary said he discovered two bench warrants were in existence for Mr Wheelock.
“At the time of the arrest of the youths they were caught red-handed,” he said.
He said there were a number of officers present and they just gave themselves up.
The garda said he placed handcuffs on Mr Wheelock which he had placed behind his back. He said it was normal procedure to have a prisoner handcuffed if it was possible they might run away or resist arrest.
He told the barrister for the family that he did not hear Mr Wheelock complaining of having a sore arm and the handcuffs hurting him.
Garda O’Leary told the inquest that due to the bench warrants Mr Wheelock was going to have to be brought to the District Court.
Garda Steve Mulqueen, who brought Mr Wheelock to the Garda station said he seemed in fine form to him.
“He wasn’t very upset,” he said.
