The 50 year old man was resting in his wheelchair near the Mercy University Hospital on Monday when he was approached by a man who demanded money.
A struggle ensued when the 39 year old man grabbed the other man's wallet.
The wheelchair user was pulled from his chair and left lying on the ground while the thief fled the scene.
Gardaí carried out a search of the area and were able to identify the suspect from CCTV footage.
A team of Gardaí backed up by members of the Armed Support Unit travelled to Mallow on Thursday and arrested the man, who is originally from West Cork.
He's due in court this morning.
