FUKUOKA (TR) – Police in Fukuoka City have re-arrested a 42-year-old construction worker after he ran a red light while fleeing a police car and crashed into a taxi, reports Fukuoka Broadcasting (July 10).
At around 3:30 a.m. on July 9, Kazuki Harada was driving a light passenger vehicle in the Miyake area of Minami Ward when he entered an intersection, ignoring a red traffic signal. He subsequently collided with a taxi, inflicting cervical sprains and other injuries on the 56-year-old male driver and a male passenger in his 20s.
During questioning on suspicion of dangerous driving resulting in injury, Harada admitted to the allegations.
“I didn’t want to get caught by the police car for drunk driving, so I ignored the traffic light to get away,” he was quoted as telling investigators.
According to police, Harada was actively being pursued by a patrol car at the time of the crash. Following the collision, officers administered a breathalyzer test and detected an alcohol concentration approximately three times the legal limit, leading to his arrest at the scene.
Authorities later served him with an additional arrest warrant for dangerous driving based on his decision to blow through the red light.
