TOKYO (TR) – A 21-year-old male member of the U.S. Marine Corps in custody on suspicion of assault has been re-arrested for allegedly choking a woman, reports NHK (July 4).
On the morning of May 25, Kahsai Tyree Hill entered an outlet of McDonald’s in Shibuya Ward and allegedly choked a 19-year-old woman with whom he was not acquainted.
The woman, who is a member of Japan’s Self-Defense Force, lost consciousness momentarily. The victim has since recovered, but she suffered a bone fracture to the face, police said.
Police on Thursday accused Hill, who was drunk at the time, of attempted murder. “In choking [her], I had no intention to kill,” the suspect was quoted by police in partially denying the allegations.
Police had previously accused Hill of punching the male driver of a taxi in front of the Washington Hotel in the Nishi Shinjuku area of Shinjuku Ward earlier on May 25. He then fled the scene without paying the 810-yen fare.
About 30 minutes later, Hill allegedly punched a 22-year-old man in the face on a street in the Yoyogi area of Shibuya, causing the victim to suffer a broken nose, police said previously.
Police are aware of two other persons that Hill is suspected of assaulting that same morning.
Hill came to Japan for training. He was staying at Camp Fuji, located in Gotemba City, Shizuoka Prefecture. However, he was staying on a short-term basis at a lodge in Shinjuku at the time of the incident.
