Police in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, said Sunday they have arrested a 79-year-old man on suspicion of stealing an electric circular saw worth 14,080 yen from a home improvement store.
According to police, Kazumi Tsukamoto entered the store on Saturday afternoon and put the saw, which was on display, into his bag, broadcaster TBS reported. He tried to leave without paying but was stopped by a store employee who noticed that he hadn’t gone to the checkout counter.
After police arrived, they found that Tsukamoto only had two yen in his pocket. He was quoted by police as saying, “I needed the saw because I wanted to cut down the trees around my house."
© Japan Today
24 Comments
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sakurasuki
Never too old to play with electrical circular saw!
falseflagsteve
Is he a kleptomaniac or totally broke and in need of help. That is the first thing the police should find out. He may need help not more stress at his age.
Protect the elderly, show compassion and understanding and get help if it’s needed in a kind way so they don’t feel a burden
GuruMick
Come on posters...where's the "lock him up " cries ?
bass4funk
I’m confused, so should he be arrested or not?
Sanjinosebleed
Probably lucky he was caught or he may have lost a few of his own "Limbs" using a circular saw to cut trees!
Sh1mon M4sada
Can only say man's got balls - walking out of a store with a circular saw in his bag.
Roten
Hmm, he is about the same age as the two clowns vying to be the next POTUS. I hope they do not have cries to "lock him up" and instead get him some help. I should take my little chain saw and go help him if he really needs to cut down things.
Antiquesaving
I don't know about the comments he is possibly " totally broke".
Just because he only had 2 yen means nothing!
What is more telling is he tried stealing a " circular saw" to cut down a tree!
A circular saw cuts straight on a flat surface you are not going to get far trying to cut down a tree, more likely it will kickback and severely injure the person using it!
A serious look into his mental health is probably needed more than anything else!
Alongfortheride
Was it a "circular saw" or have the media got it wrong.
Antiquesaving
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_saw
I don't think the got it wrong.
Seems like he stole this.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:USMC-02963.jpg
It says electric circular saw in the Japanese news 丸鋸.
He isn't going to cut any trees with that!
DoubleCracker
He deserves jail.
masterblaster
It's important to show elderly compassion. But really a society should show compassion to all its deserving members. There are some nasty elderly out there.
A crime is a crime. He should face the same penalty as anyone getting caught stealing a saw.
Lock him up.
stormcrow
What was he making?
zulander
poor fella....
I kinda understand... those circular saws are nice.
zulander
at 79, he would need assessment to find out if he is still compos mentis.
And we are not robots. Same RULES apply, but the penalty etc needs more nuance than that. Or you could also look at it this way, to a 79 year old a 1y custodial sentence, is not the same burden as to a 23yr old, or 33yr old etc.
diagonalslip
re: chainsaw to fell trees..... he actually wanted a chainsaw, but knew it wouldn't fit in his bag, so......
Speed
Basically saying a man with no money.
kohakuebisu
Strange choice of tool. 200 yen will get you a garden saw for delimbing at Daiso. 7000 yen (?) at a home center will get you a corded Chinese electric chainsaw with a 14 inch bar. That will fell big trees.
If he was intending to use a circular saw to remove branches while standing on a stepladder, its probably just as well he got caught. That could get very messy indeed, even if you are not 79 years old.
garypen
A very bad decision.
Brian Wheway
With only 2 yen in his pocket I might be better off inside, at least he will get fed, I am not saying what he did was right, but he's desperate, poor old guy. Do we give him compassion? Or a sentence? I am thinking that he needs to be helped,
Zaphod
If he has a house, he can not be that broke
GuruMick
I'd hate to be an accused and have some of the posters above on my jury.
"A crime is a crime " yes....brilliant observation
BUT the Law looks at defendants as "individuals "....or why not have computers or robots making judicial decisions.
Cripes....I'm sure some of the posters here think thats a great idea...
GuruMick
Lot's of broke people have houses.
Me included.
Asset rich, cash poor, it's called.
thinkbefore
I like his work ethic but breaking the law was not good.