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Fugitive ‘tired of running’ calls police himself in surrendering

TOKYO (TR) – A male Korean theft suspect who fled a police hospital in Nakano Ward earlier this month surrendered on Tuesday after 10 days on the run, police said, reports Kyodo News (Aug. 27).

On Tuesday morning, Kim Wong-gi, 64, telephoned the Nakano Police Station. “I am tired of running,” he reportedly said over the telephone. “I want you to come get me.”

Officers later apprehended Kim at a bus stop near JR Mejiro Station in Shinjuku Ward.

On August 18, Kim went missing after visiting a toilet on the fifth floor of the Tokyo Police Hospital in Nakano. An examination of security camera footage showed the suspect fleeing from the hospital.

Kim later boarded a bus at a stop near the hospital and exiting at JR Nakano Station. He then took another bus to Nerima Ward.

Police previously said that Kim traveled to a capsule hotel near JR Kawasaki Station in Kawasaki City inside a vehicle belonging to an acquaintance later that same day.

On August 20, a person resembling Kim was spotted in security camera footage taken at a pharmacy in Nagoya’s Naka Ward.

Police apprehended Kim Wong-gi in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward on Tuesday (Twitter)

Fell down a staircase

On August 13, Kim, a former member of a criminal syndicate, was arrested for allegedly stealing about 100,000 yen in cash from a sushi shop. Prior to his apprehension, he tried to evade capture and fell down a staircase.

In the fall, the suspect suffered a broken collarbone and broken ribs. He was transferred to the hospital for medical treatment that same day.

At the time of his apprehension, Kim was in possession of 12,000 yen in cash. Officers found a wig inside a public telephone booth that he is believed to have worn while a fugitive.

Police are now investigating what locations Kim traveled to during his time on the run.