KANAGAWA (TR) – A 43-year-old convict who remains at large after fleeing from prosecutors in the town of Aikawa earlier this week has been placed on a nationwide wanted list, police said on Thursday, reports TBS News (June 20).
At around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, seven persons, including two police officers and five staff members from the Yokohama District Public Prosecutor’s Office, attempted to apprehend Makoto Kobayashi at a residence. However, the convict fled the scene after producing a knife.
Kobayashi was then seen traveling in a black Honda Fit sedan on the Tomei Expressway in the direction of Nagoya. The vehicle was later found abandoned about 7 kilometers from the residence.
Kobayashi was last seen in footage taken from a security camera at a convenience store in the Tsumadaminami area of Atsugi City at around 6:30 p.m. that same day.
Kobayashi stands 171 centimeters tall. At the time of his escape, he was wearing a white cap, white t-shirt and shorts. After Kobayashi fled, police publicly released a portrait photograph of him.
Last September, the Odawara branch of the Yokohama District Court handed Kobayashi a three-year, eight-month prison term for theft, trespassing, inflicting bodily injury and violating the Stimulants Control Law. The defense appealed the ruling. However, the Tokyo High Court upheld the ruling on February 8.
Police are seeking Kobayashi’s whereabouts on suspicion of interfering with the duties of a public servant.
