KANAGAWA (TR) – Police in Sagamihara City have arrested a 45-year-old man who crashed his vehicle into a convenience store and emerged wielding a kitchen knife early Monday.
That’s not all. The incident happened shortly after he allegedly set fire to his own apartment, reports TV Asahi (July 20).
Just after midnight, a car driven by Kyohei Shibuya slammed head-on into the entrance of a convenience store located about three kilometers from Sagamihara Station. The force of the crash destroyed the automatic doors, with the vehicle penetrating deep into the shop’s interior.
According to police, Shibuya exited the vehicle armed with a 15-centimeter kitchen knife in his left hand and a golf club in his right. He prowled through the aisles of the store before stepping back outside to face arriving officers.
A high school student who was shopping inside the store during the crash sustained injuries to both arms and was transported to a local hospital.
Faced with the armed suspect, responding police officers fired a single warning shot into the air before subduing him. Shibuya was arrested on the spot on suspicion of violating the Swords and Firearms Control Law.
“There is no mistake,” the suspect told police, admitting to the weapons charge.
However, Shibuya soon offered a shocking supplementary confession to investigators, stating, “I set fire to my apartment.”
Just prior to the convenience store crash, a fire broke out at a nearby apartment building. Local residents reported hearing evacuation orders as heavy smoke billowed from a third-floor balcony.
Police are currently investigating the connection between the fire and the crash, and are working to determine the motive behind the late-night rampage.
