As the Christmas shopping rush began at the weekend, gardaí blocked off Grafton Street and called in their search helicopter after an armed robbery at a major fashion outlet on Saturday evening.
Two men armed with shotguns entered the River Island shop at the bottom of Grafton Street at about 7.30pm and demanded that staff hand over the day's takings.
Saturday is the busiest shopping day of the week in the area and, at the start of the Christmas period, it even was busier than usual.
The shop had been closed for an hour when the men broke in. Staff had just finished closing the cash-register accounts for the day.
Gardaí arrived quickly on the scene, said a spokesman, but the robbery was over "in a very short space of time".
"It all happened very quickly. Two men entered the shop armed with shotguns, demanded the money, it was handed over and they were gone. No one wants to get into an argument with someone pointing a gun at them."
The shop opened yesterday and was reported to be busy. No staff member would comment on the incident. The Garda Press Office said it remained unclear how much money was taken. Gardaí in Pearse Street are appealing for witnesses. They can be contacted on (01) 666 9000.
