Man suspected of hitting teen with hammer in Japan arrested after manhunt
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A man who allegedly hit a high school student with a hammer in Tokyo on April 29 has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: PEXELS
TOKYO – A man who is believed to have struck a 17-year-old high school student in the face with a hammer in Tokyo earlier this week was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder on May 1 after a manhunt, according to the local police.
Mr Teruyuki Takabayashi, 44, was apprehended in Narashino in Japan’s Chiba prefecture after allegedly attacking the boy between 7.15am and 7.25am on April 29 in Fussa, a suburban area in western Tokyo. The boy was part of a group of seven teenagers hanging around a nearby restaurant at the time of the incident.
Mr Takabayashi was quoted by the police as saying that he “didn’t intend to kill anyone”.
The suspect is thought to have attacked the group on April 29 after his mother, who he lives with, warned the group to be quiet. He pointed a knife at the police officers who were called to the scene, before spraying them with a medicinal substance.
He also struck another high school student who sustained minor injuries, while three police officers were sent to hospital.
The police initially believed Mr Takabayashi had barricaded himself inside his home after the attack, but he could not be found when they later stormed the residence. Security camera footage showed the suspect fleeing through a back door.
He was eventually found alone in an apartment in Narashino. KYODO NEWS
