1 Killed, 10 Injured in Car Stampede in Tokyo

Tokyo, Nov. 24 (Jiji Press)–A man was killed and 10 other people were injured in a hit-and-run accident involving a stolen car in Tokyo’s Adachi Ward on Monday. An emergency call was made to fire authorities around 12:35 p.m. to report the incident. According to Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department, a woman in her 20s and a man in his 80s were taken to a hospital, but the man later died. The car was stolen, and the driver abandoned it and fled. The police arrested a 37-year-old man of unknown occupation in the ward, believed to have been driving the car, on suspicion of theft. He denies the charges, saying, “I didn’t steal it but to test drive the car.” The MPD will examine the suspect’s criminal responsibility, planning to investigate the case on suspicion of hit-and-run and of dangerous driving resulting in death or injury. According to police and other sources, the vehicle hit a woman in her 20s who was on the crosswalk, then mounted the sidewalk and traveled about 100 meters, striking four other people one after another. In addition, the car moved onto the roadway and caused a pileup involving a truck, injuring six other people. He was arrested on suspicion of stealing a car from the parking lot of a car dealer near the scene at around 10:20 a.m., about two hours before the accident. The car is believed to have been unlocked and the key was inside the car. The man has visited the store before to buy a car, and it was his third visit to the dealer. The police were questioning the man who had returned to his home after the accident. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]