TOKYOK (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a former Japanese Olympic weightlifter for allegedly assaulting a convenience store clerk and breaking his finger after being caught shoplifting in Kita Ward, reports TBS News (Aug. 4).
Toshiki Yamamoto, 34, who represented Japan in weightlifting at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of robbery resulting in bodily injury.
According to investigators, the incident occurred on the 1st of this month. Yamamoto allegedly shoplifted several items, including a pack of eggs, from the convenience store. When a male store clerk confronted him about the theft, the former Olympian allegedly shoved the man to the ground, fracturing the clerk’s finger in the process.
Officers rushed to the store following an emergency call and apprehended Yamamoto on the spot.
During police questioning, Yamamoto partially denied the allegations, disputing the assault charge. “There is no mistake that I shoplifted, but I did not use violence,” he told investigators.
