Investigation after group of 20 young men board Luas and assault passenger

A Garda spokeswoman said that Gardaí attended the scene, and the perpetrators 'dispersed'.

Transdev, the company which operates the Luas service, are investigating an incident in which a group of 20 young men boarded the tram and assaulted a youth, the Irish Times reports. According to Gardaí, the incident took place yesterday evening at 5:40pm at the Parnell Street stop. A Garda spokeswoman said: "Gardaí were alerted to an incident of youths at the Luas line at Parnell Street assaulting a youth this evening. "A number of Garda units attended the scene and youths had dispersed upon arrival." It is not currently clear whether anyone was injured in the attack. Transdev are now investigating the incident. One witness to the incident told The Irish Times claimed that one of the young men who boarded the tram appeared to be "brandishing what looked like a butcher's knife." They added that it may have been a prop, but that it did resemble a large knife. The passenger described the incident as "frightening", and said that other passengers were "very concerned". They told the paper: "You weren't sure if you were better getting off the Luas. No one really knew what was going on." According to The Independent, one witness to the incident said that the Luas driver was an "absolute hero". They said that the driver assured passengers that the incident was caught on CCTV which should enable the Gardaí in their investigation. The driver also used the speaker to tell those involved that the Luas wouldn't be moving until they get off. Another witness told The Irish Sun that there was "a lot of screaming, shouting, fighting [and] punching" one carriage away from them. The passenger added that after the group left and the tram approached Marlborough, the driver stopped the tram as he worried the group were waiting for them there.