TOCHIGI (TR) – On Tuesday, the aerial pursuit by Tochigi police of three persons suspected in the robbery of a safe containing more than 6 million yen ended in their apprehension after the suspects abandoned their vehicle, reports the Sankei Shimbun (May 24).
At around 3:00 p.m., Tatsuya Hayakawa, a 22-year-old employee in the construction industry, and two other male suspects allegedly used a crowbar to break into a residence in Utsunomiya City and assaulted two of the occupants, a woman, 75, and her 55-year-old son. “Don’t make a sound, and nothing will happen,” one of them demanded.
The three perpetrators then fled the scene in a white luxury sedan with a safe containing cash and various valuables, including jewelry, worth about 6.6 million yen.
The woman and her son suffered minor injuries in the incident. Other family members were unharmed.
About one hour later, the suspects were apprehended on a mountain embankment in Nikko City after they abandoned the vehicle inside a tunnel, located about 60 kilometers from the residence. They were charged with robbery resulting in injury.
Prior to the apprehension, police used a helicopter to pursue the suspects, according to the TBS News (May 24).
