OSAKA (TR) – Police in Osaka City have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of attempted robbery-murder after he allegedly hijacked a delivery van and dragged its driver through the streets, leaving him with severe head injuries, reports ABC News (July 16).
Toki Harada, an unemployed man of no fixed address, is accused of stealing a light delivery van parked along a road in Tsurumi Ward on June 24.
When the 52-year-old delivery driver noticed the theft, he desperately clung to the passenger-side window in an attempt to stop the vehicle. Harada allegedly accelerated and drove off, dragging the man for approximately 165 meters.
The driver eventually fell to the road, sustaining major injuries including a traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage.
During police questioning, Harada has remained silent regarding the allegations.
The day after the violent carjacking, police located the stolen van inside the underground parking garage of a large commercial complex in Kita Ward. When officers approached the vehicle for questioning, Harada attempted to make a getaway, crashing the van into a parking gate and destroying the barrier.
He was arrested on the spot for property damage. On July 16, police served a fresh arrest warrant elevating the charge to attempted robbery-murder.
