Two female gardai came under suspected gunfire while intercepting a car at a north Dublin housing estate.
The uniformed gardai, on patrol in a marked Garda Ford Transit van at the time, pulled up alongside a "suspect" car at Buttercup Park in Darndale at around 11.20pm on Thursday.
Before they got out of the van, they heard what the officers described as “a loud noise” before the car sped off over a field in the direction of Malahide Road.
When the officers returned to their station they examined the Garda van and noticed “two indentations” on the lower part of the driver door.
No one was injured and both Garda officers involved remained on duty.
A garda spokesman said the indentations are “consistent with gunfire” and forensic examinations are ongoing to determine the type of suspected ammunition and firearm used in the attack.
“The indentations are quite small, but they are consistent with gunfire, there is no doubt about it,” he said.
The body of the van was not pierced. The indentations are thought to have come from single rounds rather than a shotgun.
The van is undergoing a technical and forensic examination.
It is not yet known how many people were in the car at the time of the suspected shooting. Details of the type of car have yet to be released.
“It would have been dark at the time. Investigators are still trying to determine all the circumstances,” the Garda spokesman said.
The car has not been found and no-one has been apprehended.
Investigating gardaí are appealing for witnesses.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the incident room at Coolock Garda Station 01 6664200 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.