Gardaí are on the hunt for a man who escaped from custody earlier today.
23-year-old Lee McDonnell from Ballyfermot was travelling in a prison van after a hospital visit when he managed to break free.
McDonnell, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence, was being escorted back from Dublin to Portlaoise prison when the vehicle made a stop at Macaris chipper in Inchicore.
It is believed that McDonnell had managed to slip out of handcuffs and lunged at officers when the prison van door was opened.
According to
RTÉ News, McDonnell is well known to Gardaí with over 70 previous convictions.
McDonnell, who is described as being "violent and unpredictable", was due before the Court of Appeal tomorrow morning for his most recent conviction in which he attacked a shopkeeper with the butt of a gun during a robbery in 2012.
A picture of McDonnell via The Irish Mirror
An investigation to establish how McDonnell managed to escape has been launched by The Prison Service.
