A key member of the so-called ‘Lucky Dip’ burglary gang was caught and bitten by a Garda dog – after cowering in the bushes amid a terrifying M50 chase.
Today we are publishing the first photo of Josh Killeen, 19, who was jailed this week over two high-speed chases – the latter of which he was ultimately caught, thanks to a highly trained dog named Roxy and a Garda helicopter. We can also reveal that Killeen, who is now serving a two year sentence for endangerment and possession of a stolen motorbike, was also a suspected member of a major car theft gang dubbed the ‘Lucky Dip’.
The gang, which comprises a network of up to 60 young criminals, are linked to hundreds of home burglaries and car thefts all over Leinster. Killeen, sources say, was one of the “drivers” of the gang’s operation, and had been wreaking havoc in the Dublin area before Roxy subdued and bit him when he failed to comply with gardai.
Josh Killeen, suspected member of the so called Lucky Dip gang.
Killeen, who was armed with a knife, was set upon by the trained dog, which finally apprehended him after a terrible ordeal on Dublin’s M50 last year. The criminal, of Glenshane Crescent in Tallaght, was before Dublin Circuit Court this week where he had pleaded guilty to endangerment on November 3, 2024, another count of endangerment on January 31, 2025, and to possession of stolen motorbike on March 9, 2025.
Gardai told the court that Killeen was driving a stolen Honda Stream which failed to pull over for gardai – leading to a one hour chase on the M50 Southbound. The brazen criminal drove against the traffic on the motorway, leading to gardai standing down and initiating a road block in an effort to protect the public.
Killeen ultimately collided the car with a curb – causing the vehicle to flip onto its roof. Five men got out of the vehicle – with a number of the running across all six lanes of the M50.
Killeen meanwhile was trapped in the driver’s seat and ultimately had to be cut out of the car and taken to hospital during that incident. The thug was subsequently questioned about the incident and charged in January 2025 – but before long was again causing chaos on the motorway while on bail.
This time Killeen was involved in a high speed garda chase in the Sallynoggin area of Dublin – after gardai had been alerted to the scene of the theft of a van. Officers were alerted to the suspected van speeding in the area at 2:15am – and attempted to stop it to no avail.
A chase ensued, during which the driver broke two red lights and was travelling at speeds of 120 km/hr in a 50 km/hr zone – and on the wrong side of the road against traffic. Killeen then abandoned the van on the M50 – parking it in a ditch as he ran into dense undergrowth in a desperate attempt to evade gardai.
However the garda helicopter was drafted in – as well as the dog unit.Garda dog Roxy was deployed, alongside highly trained gardai from that unit, as they moved in on Killeen who was cowering in the dense thorn bushes. Roxy ultimately subdued Killeen, who was failing to comply and had in his possession a knife.
He was further caught with a stolen motorbike in March of last year. The vehicle had been stolen from the Tallaght area earlier that night.
He has five previous convictions including dangerous driving and unauthorised taking of a vehicle. He had also been disqualified from driving at the time of these offences.
Judge Orla Crowe this week said Killeen had been involved in “really serious dangerous driving” during which gardaí put their own lives at risks to protect the public. Judge Crowe accepted that there is “hope” for Killeen but said he must put an end to “what appears to be thrill-seeking behaviour”.
She imposed consecutive sentences totalling three years before she suspended the final 12 months of the term on strict conditions – and disqualified Killeen from driving for four years.
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