KYOTO (TR) – A 55-year-old unemployed woman has been arrested in Maizuru City after she allegedly hurled scalding hot soup pasta into the face of a convenience store clerk who caught her shoplifting, local police said, reports Mainichi Broadcasting System (Sep. 2).
Kikuno Hanasaki was taken into custody on suspicion of ex-post facto robbery following the confrontation in early on Wednesday.
At around 5:30 a.m., Hanasaki allegedly stole three seasoning items, including salt, valued at a total of 614 yen, from a convenience store located in a residential area.
According to investigators, she only paid for a single item at the register — a cup of soup pasta, which she then filled with boiling water.
As Hanasaki exited the store, a 49-year-old male clerk who had witnessed her conceal the seasonings confronted her outside. In a desperate bid to escape, Hanasaki allegedly tossed the freshly made, hot soup pasta directly into the clerk’s face.
The clerk suffered redness to his face but avoided any severe burns or lasting injuries, police said.
Upon her arrest, Hanasaki fully admitted to the allegations.
“There is no mistake that I threw the soup pasta I was holding at the clerk’s face when he called out to me as I was trying to shoplift the salt,” she was quoted as telling investigators.
Police are continuing to investigate the detailed circumstances leading up to the incident.
