14-year-old stole care workers car in Laois before being chased through 4 counties by Gardaí on the M7

A 14-year-old boy caused chaos yesterday evening after he broke out of a care facility in Laois and brought Gardaí on a massive chase across four counties and along the M7.

The boy was was at a care facility in Mountrath, Co Laois, on Thursday evening when he stole a staff member's car and heading towards the busy motorway at around 4pm. Gardaí were alerted, and a chase that went on for around 100km followed.

The youngster took the Volkswagen Passat through Laois, Offaly, Tipperary and Limerick at high speed, which resulted in Gardaí deploying units to block the entry points to the motorway at junctions from Roscrea to Limerick.

The pursuit was eventually halted when he reached the outskirts of Limerick City, where he was eventually forced to stop when he was met with a large Garda roadblock. He was arrested at the scene, and the Irish Independent report that Gardaí are hoping to press charges.