IBARAKI (TR) – Ibaraki Prefectural Police arrested a 48-year-old man after he allegedly went on a stabbing rampage that injured six persons in Mito City, reports the Sankei Shimbun (July 29).
At around 6 p.m., Hirokazu Shiobara, of no known occupation, used a knife to attack passersby on a street behind a supermarket in the downtown area of Minamimachi area. He then stabbed people on a sidewalk along National Route 50 facing the supermarket.
All of the six male and female victims are conscious. A 70-year-old man from Higashiyamato City, Tokyo and a male office worker, 65, from Mito City were seriously injured, police said.
Police did not reveal whether Shiobara admits to allegations of attempted murder.
In carrying out the crime, Shiobarta moved around and stabbed people indiscriminately. Police seized four knives at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing to learn the motive of the suspect.
One witness told Nippon News Network, “The sound of the police sirens was incredible. When I got out, there was a police line up, and when I got onto the main road, I saw a person lying on the ground, surrounded by police officers and being carried away on a stretcher.”
