OSAKA (TR) – Police in Osaka City are hunting for a teenage boy with suspected ties to organized crime after he made a daring escape by plunging into a river to evade investigators on Monday afternoon, reports TV Asahi (July 7).
Officers from the Aichi Prefectural Police, who were in the process of seeking an arrest warrant, had been lying in wait near the Osaka Detention House. The suspect had reportedly visited the facility for a meeting.
At around 4:00 p.m., investigators approached the teen for voluntary questioning near the Okawa River. Instead of cooperating, the suspect bolted from the officers and leapt into the water.
In a scene one witness initially mistook for a YouTube prank video, the suspect swam across the river, which spans more than 70 meters in width. One investigator dove into the water in a desperate pursuit, trailing the suspect by about 10 meters, while officers on the riverbank pleaded with a local houseboat operator to deploy a vessel.
“The person swimming across reached the other side with such speed that the police couldn’t catch him at all,” the witness said.
After making it to the opposite bank, the teen fled into a nearby housing complex. Authorities believe he was subsequently whisked away in a getaway car driven by an accomplice.
“Blunder”
The botched operation has drawn sharp criticism from law enforcement veterans. Tatsuyuki Narumi, former head of the First Investigation Division of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police, suggested the officers were poorly prepared and blinded by their own assumptions.
“Since he got away, it can’t be helped if people call this a blunder,” Narumi said. “The investigators likely had a preconception that he wouldn’t jump into a river. You have to position personnel to handle any potential escape pattern.”
Police describe the fugitive as a male in his late teens. Standing between 170 and 180 centimeters tall, he has a slim build and short black hair. He was last seen wearing all-black clothing.
Authorities say the suspect is not believed to be armed, and a manhunt is currently underway to track down his whereabouts.
