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Fukushima cops: Man arrested after knife rampage injures 4

A man, 34, was arrested for injuring 4 persons with a knife at a library in Fukushima Prefecture
A man, 34, was arrested for injuring 4 persons with a knife at a library in Fukushima Prefecture
FUKUSHIMA (TR) – A man was enraged by a library worker’s explanation of check-out procedures on Monday and started flailing a knife around, lightly injuring four people.

Nihonmatsu Station Police arrested Ryo Hirano, 34, on bodily injury charges for allegedly swinging a small foldable knife around and injuring four people at a library in Motomachi, Nihonmatsu City, the Mainichi Shimbun reports (July 18).

Police believe Hirano, who claims to be a part-time worker, suddenly started swinging his knife around when a 51-year-old library worker was explaining check-out procedures.

Hirano admitted to inflicting four people with light injuries on their wrists and knees, telling police he was “unhappy with the explanation.”

The suspect reportedly remained holed up in the library after officers responding to an emergency call arrived on the scene.

The Kobe Shimbun reported that two library workers and two visitors, 33 and 62, were injured trying to stop Hirano. Another visitor called police, and a responding officer managed to hold down the suspect.