2 men arrested over hit-and-run that injured 4 boys near Tokyo
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The car hit four sixth graders who were on their way home around 4.05pm local time on May 14.
PHOTO: AFP
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SAITAMA, Japan - Two Chinese men were arrested on May 18 over an alleged hit-and-run that injured four elementary school boys near Tokyo last week, police said, suspecting the driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
The driver Deng Hongpeng, 42, and passenger Wang Hongli, 25, were sent to prosecutors on May 19 after Mr Deng turned himself in to the police the previous day, four days after the accident on a street in Misato, Saitama prefecture.
Police suspect the two men fled the scene to avoid Mr Deng being charged with drunken driving after they consumed alcohol for several hours before the accident, an investigative source said.
Mr Deng has admitted to hitting the children and said he left the scene because the boys told him they were all right, according to police. He is the registered owner of the vehicle and holds a valid driver’s licence.
Mr Wang is accused of violating the traffic law for asking Mr Deng to drive him home despite knowing he was drunk.
The car hit four sixth graders who were on their way home around 4.05pm local time on May 14. One boy suffered an avulsion fracture in his right foot, while the three others sustained minor injuries.
Police seized the vehicle the day after the accident at a parking lot around 2km from the scene.
In Japan, a string of incidents involving cars crashing into groups of elementary school students has raised parental concerns over children’s safety on their way to and from school.
On May 19, four nine-year-old boys were taken to the hospital in Chikushino, Fukuoka Prefecture, after a light passenger vehicle crashed into a group of elementary school students, local police said.
The driver, a woman in her 70s, was also taken to the hospital. She and one of the boys suffered fractures, but none of the five people are in a life-threatening condition. Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
Earlier this month, a car rammed into a group of elementary school pupils on their way home in the city of Osaka, injuring seven. The male driver in his 20s was arrested at the scene and is suspected of having deliberately tried to kill them. KYODO NEWS
