TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 34-year-old man over the alleged assault of a blind commuter in Chiyoda Ward last month, reports Jiji Press (Oct. 11).
At around 5:30 pm on September 3, Ryuichiro Ikeda, a part-time employee, allegedly came up from behind the blind man, aged in his 50s, and kicked him in the waist area on the platform of Jimbocho Station on the Toei Shinjuku Line.
The blind man, aged in his 50s, was not injured in the incident, the Kanda Police Station said.
According to police, Ikeda was using a multi-purpose toilet on the platform just before the incident. At that time, the suspect heard the blind man’s cane tapping outside as he tried to enter the facility himself.
Upon his arrest on suspicion of assault, Ikeda said, “I heard a noise from outside and thought he was rushing me to go to the bathroom. So, I got angry and kicked him. I didn’t know he was blind.”
After the incident, a commotion ensued. Ikeda then hid inside the nearby men’s bathroom. He then fled the scene.
The incident was discovered when the blind man consulted a station employee.
Ikeda emerged as a person of interest in the case after an examination of the station’s security camera footage. He was apprehended on October 9.
