SIXTEEN people have been charged with public order offences after violence erupted in Cork city over the weekend.
At around 10pm on Sunday, August 25, Gardaí officers who were attending to a man they found lying injured on the ground on Oliver Plunkett Street were targeted by a large group of people.
The group was verbally and physically aggressive towards the officers and refused to leave the area when asked to disperse.
Further Garda units were called and incapacitant spray – known as ‘pepper spray’ - was used as violence erupted among the crowd, which saw one officer pushed to the ground and another punched in the face.
Neither officer required medical attention, and both remained on duty on the night.
The disorder continued into the night, with another group gathering near Daunt Square shortly after midnight who “again were verbally and physically aggressive towards Gardaí” the police force confirmed.
A total of 16 people have since been arrested in connection with the incidents and charged.
Each of them appeared before Cork District Court yesterday (August 26).
