TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Friday announced the arrest of a barman in the Roppongi entertainment area of Minato Ward for allegedly stealing a waste collection truck earlier this year, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Dec. 1).
On July 28 at around 7:50 a.m., Shunsuke Honma, a 23-year-old resident of Edogawa Ward, allegedly jumped into the driver’s seat of the vehicle while it was stopped on a road in the district and drove off.
Honma, who has been accused of theft, admits to the allegations. “Since the morning trains are crowded, it was too much of a bother,” the suspect was quoted by police.
According to police, the regular driver of the truck left the cab with the engine running when Honma took the wheel. The suspect drove the vehicle for about 2 kilometers to the front of JR Shimbashi Station before abandoning it. He then walked in the direction of Ginza.
Pulling open doors of other vehicles
Two hours before the incident, Honma was drinking in a bar in Roppongi. Between that time and the alleged theft, he was seen pulling open doors of multiple vehicles in security camera footage, police said.
At a parking lot, he asked another driver of a waste collection truck if he could take him to the Kachidoki area of Chuo Ward, according to the Sankei Shimbun (Dec. 1).
Since Honma does not possess a driver’s license, police are investigating whether to also accuse him of violating the Road Traffic Act.
