IBARAKI (TR) – Ibaraki Prefectural Police have apprehended an organized crime member who escaped custody while in a wheelchair at a hospital in Omitama City last month, reports Nippon News Network (Jan. 11).
On Wednesday, police working off a tip re-arrested Yoshiyuki Yuhara, a 41-year-old member of the Matsuba-kai, at a residence in Tsuchiura City.
Police also arrested gang member Katsuyuki Nasuno, 38, and Shigehito Suzuki, 41, for concealing Yuhara and violating the Marijuana Control Law.
Yuhara had been listed on a nationwide wanted list following his escape from the hospital on December 16. He told three police officers that he “wanted to go for a smoke” during discharge procedures. The suspect then wheeled his way toward a smoking area before jumping into an arriving car and fleeing the scene.
In June of 2015, police issued a warrant for the arrest of Yuhara for the alleged possession of kakuseizai, or stimulant drugs.
Yuhara had entered the hospital after injuring a leg during an attempt to flee from police officers by leaping from his residence on November 6, 2016.
Police also seized a number of license plates inside the Tsuchiura residence, according to TV Asahi (Jan. 13). It is believed the plates were used in Yuhara’s flight from police.
