KANAGAWA (TR) – Kanagawa Prefectural Police have arrested a 52-year-old male employee in the construction industry for dragging a man from his truck over a distance of 300 meters following a dispute at a restaurant in Yokohama earlier this year, reports the Mainichi Shimbun (July 4).
On the night of January 21, Shoichi Kosuge, 52, received a warning from a staff member of a restaurant, located in Seya Ward, about speaking on the telephone. After the pair got into a quarrel, another man, 24, interceded and Kosuge attempted to flee the scene.
In the parking lot of the restaurant, Kosuge climbed behind the wheel of his truck and drove off as the other man grabbed one of the side mirrors to stop him. Kosuge then proceeded to drag the man over a distance of 300 meters over a 10-minute period.
The victim suffered injuries to his face and buttocks that required three weeks to heal, according to the Seya Police Station.
Kosuge, who has been accused of attempted murder, partially denies the allegations. “I did not intend to kill,” the suspect was quoted by police. “I was not running that fast.”
Kosuge emerged as a person of interest for police after an examination of smartphone video footage from of the incident taken by another customer.