Car being chased by police slams into another vehicle, killing driver

@unclebuddah

The problem with that is someone could get hurt due to this persons irresponsible driving.

UncleBudah - "just record the incident"? When its dark, speed at 100km/h, and no lights on? And as Zanes says, just let the guy continue on? Don't think so.

By the way, let me guess, if the J POLICE had just stood around doing NOTHING would we have the same folk here on JT complaining that the Japanese Key Stone cops never do their job??

Police its at fault!! just dont flash the lights, record the incident , use one of the millions of the streets cameras get the tag number of the car and pick this irresponsible driver at home,!!

What if this car was stolen? What if the driver was drunk?

Police who work in traffic have advanced driving training to deal with high speed chases. There is always potentially the chance of a fatality but the majority of the time one doesn't occur.

Now I hate it when I read that a innocent driver has been killed. I'd much rather it was the irresponsible and selfish t*** who broke the law that dies.

This is the driver's fault not that of the police. When you break the law, the police stop you. When you are told to pull over, you pull over. When you run, they chase you because obviously you are doing something rather wrong. For starters, you are failing to obey a police order, which is in and of itself a violation of the law.

When people can violate the law and run and get away with it, the fabric that holds society breaks down. I realize that there is the ability in some cases to record the number and pick up later, but what if this guy had then gone off to commit a more serious crime? Would the posters be so forgiving of the police? Similarly, there could be situations when in a crowded area where suspending a high speed pursuit could be the smart course of action. But this was Hokkaido at night. Not crowded (although apparantly crowded enough for a serious accident) and not well covered by cameras. The police made the right decision as far as I can tell. The fact that it resulted in a fatility rests solely with the driver of the car that caused the accident.

It is time that we stop transferring blame away from those who's actions cause harm to others and onto those who uphold the basic rules of society (and by-the-by, generally do a pretty decent job.).

He should be charged with murder using a car. The cops can not see into the future when chasing someone. That Nurse might have saved his life had things gone the other way. Be a man did wrong pull over and take it, running away never has a positive outcome. Senseless

No lghts no hurry unless it's endangering others, call in to the air wing they can follow, but always there are idiots, drunk or watched too much TV, played Grand theft auto...got to end it ASAP. It's the drivers fault. Police can give room and time for them to calm down, but if it's gone pear shaped they have to intervene damed if you do damed if you don't. Most Police forces have a do not peruse policy get them latter policy. Having a responsive air wing and parameters for chase reduce the risk of harm. But there are always idiots who have the driving skills of Leemings and the for site of a fruit fly.

re somebody said didn't the nurse hear the siren,

I do not understand the attitude toward sirens in this country. Esp Kansai (Kanto is slightly better). When I was a kid (in the US) we were taught at a young age to get out of the way of anything w/ a siren b/c ppl's life was at risk (including our own, w/ a racing fire engine etc, but also the ppl at the fire/ wherever the ambulance was going), again when I got my license, taught always pull over, put on blinkers and slow dn/ stop when a siren comes. Here, an ambulance can be coming and the crosswalk lights are green, ppl will walk a cross right in front of the ambulance, not even hurrying, just like it was another car that had a red light and had to wait for them. I really rarely see ppl in cars pull over or go slow for fire trucks and ambulances, say less than 1/4 of the time. Kanto was more like 1/3 to 1/2.

No idea what the specifics of the situation were, but it's very possible the nurse heard the siren and just ignored it.

Bastard!! I hope this idiot drunk driver burns in hell!!!! RIP innocent nurse.

Funny the same folks blaming the police for taking action are probably the same people who would blame the police for no action if the car had slammed into the lady anyway.

The same folks point at the police, but not the actual LAW BREAKER, who was the driver in the car trying to escape. He's the one that decided to speed in the first place, then he's the one that decided to outrun the police, ultimately he's the one at fault for breaking the law.

hoserfella - I read it as the intersection had no traffic lights, not the car...

@Unclebudah. You have got to be kidding me. He might have killed more people driving like that. He was already driving at wrecklessly when they tried to stop him. Yes, if it had not been for the police chase, he might not have hit that nurse and killed her. That is true. But you are thinking purely in HINDSIGHT. There purpose for stopping him was just that. He was a danger to other drivers. They were trying to get the guy to stop before he killed someone. But it was most likely going to happen anyway.

I hope this guy NEVER gets out of jail. EVER!!! It is just so sad that we are not reading that HE was the one who died in this accident. Scum of the earth is all that guy is!!!

I can not believe some of you people! Some are quick to blame the police and a few even blamed the nurse for being in her car on the street! I am surprised that some of you are NOT putting the blame on the speeding car for being able to go fast! No wonder the world is getting so messed up. People no longer want to take responsibility for their actions and place the blame on others. Now, it is getting so bad, people who are not even involved want to place the blame on others without even knowing all the facts!

The blood lies squarely on the knucklehead who tried to escape the police (As if that is possible in this very small country?)

I am not a big fan of the Japanese police but they were just doing their job. When a policeman tells you to stop. DO SO and there wont be a problem.

@Richard EXACTLY. Anyone of you who blamed the nurse or the police are just amazing. You should all be so ashamed of yourself for not placing the blame squarely on the knucklehead who tried to escape the police. The laws are in place to protect you, me and everyone else. We all agreed to them when we got our driver's licenses. So, grow up and put the blame where it belongs.

@grandjury Of all the nonsense!!

Maybe. But if they did get the number but kept chasing, they share blame for sure. I can understand some actions like using the PA system, lights and siren to get people to pull over, but the police should never actually give chase though. The instant it becomes a chase, the police should relent, especially if its just a speeder.

The police should give chase. You should stop your car. What are you are saying is not practiced anywhere at all. Do you know why???? Quite simple!! Because then nobody will stop and everyone will claim they weren't driving the car at the time.

Answer me this, PLEASE! If you are driving and you see some crazy guy weaving dangerously in and out of traffic, maybe running red lights, or driving way too fast, don't you wish the police would stop the guy and take away his keys? What if he is drunk and that is the reason that he is driving the way he is? Do you want him to continue on driving until he kills a large group of innocent people? Would you feel safe with him on the road or wouldn't you feel better about having the police stop the guy?

I can't even believe I am reading how some people are saying that the police have any responsibility in this.

People go back and look at your own countries. No police force waits for you to go home to come after you. It is not their fault all. Stop means, STOP.

@Elbudo Mexicana. Thanks. Finally some common sense. What you said is DEAD ON. It amazes me also of how many of you who blame the police would be the same people who would bash the living daylights out of the police if they just had let the guy go and had killed someone. You guys would have screamed bloody murder if that had happened, especially if it were a child. And I bet if we look into records we will find some of you actually did just that.

Who do you think the family of that poor nurse blames? The cops for doing their jobs? I wouldn't bet on it. I

Damned if you do and damn if you don't.

Elbudo Mexicano is right on when saying some posters would blame police had they NOT chased and someone died. The only person at fault is the runner, may he rot in prison and in a terrible way after his own death. The innocent driver(the nurse) died at the hands of the runner. Don't blame the cops who were trying to do their job.

I agree with Graham DeShazo. "When you break the law" and "you are failing to obey police order, which is in and of itself a violation of the law" If you are in a high speed more than the speed limit. You break the law. When you fail to obey police order when you are in a high speed. They will chase you. This 38 year old male drivers fault because he break the law and never obey police order.

To all the ignorant that think a criminal (in car or otherwize) should be let go during the action of any crime I am shocked. If someone is robing your house or raping a loved one we should just let them go and catch them later .....YEA RIGHT. This guy needed to be stopped and the police did what they where hired to do. It was an accident and the speeding driver is to blame for the speed and the chase. The police will get no satisfaction from this arrest unfortunately due to the outcome but they got the jerk off the roads. Unless you have worn a badge and been out there protecting the general public you have NO IDEA! Not every police officer is perfect but this time they did their job the best they could. RIP Shimizu sama.

If such a policy exists in New Zealand it most likely exists under completely opposite conditions.

sandiegoluv: No. The conditions are the same. Whether in a dense urban area or in a rural situation, the first priority is to get the speedster to slow down. Usually the police can do that by flashing their lights and sounding the siren. If that doesn't work, chasing is likely to make the situation more dangerous, since the police can never be sure what lies ahead on the road.

I'm certainly not advocating that felons should be allowed to escape, just that are ways to stop them that involve less risk to innocent bystanders and the police themselves.

Nor am I implying that the police were to blame in this case. However, I hope that the Japanese police have or are developing a chase policy to minimize the risks when these incidents occur.

Only thing I agree about uncle is that the J police should also use HELICOPTERS to chase these silly irresponsible selfish no good scum who do not only care about their own lives but they want to drag anybody and everybody down to hell with them too! So sad this poor nurse had to die because of a selfish no good lower than dog pooh bakayaro!

Speeding is one thing. Its fun and games or a hurry. Maybe the person speeding would have been fine doing his own thing maybe not. Likely he didnt mean to hit anyone with his car and only in a mad panic because of cops intervention the driver smashed up in to the nurse.

@lowly

No idea what the specifics of the situation were, but it's very possible the nurse heard the siren and just ignored it.

I wouldn't bet on that logic either. He was going more than 100 kilos when he smashed into the poor nurse. She probably had no time at all to react. You are right about the other things you said though. I was taught the same thing, but they are not, supposedly because the roads are smaller.

@Cricky

Most Police forces have a do not peruse policy get them latter policy.

Really???? What countries are those? They all follow you. It might be from the air, but that is not going to stop someone from flooring the gas in order to escape a helicopter. I have never heard of a country that has a policy of writing down your license plate and coming after you after you have driven your car like an idiot and terrorized the streets. NEVER. NEVER. NEVER.

@Kabukilover

Police car chases are fine for movies but in real life this is what often happens. Police chases endanger civilians. We don't need them. Nothing can justify this poor woman's death. Nothing.

And what would you have them do? Just let the crazy person drive on until he does some real damage so then you can complain that the cops didn't do their jobs??? Police chases may endanger the lives of civilians but there is nothing that you can do about it. You can't just let them continue on their merry little dangerous way until they kill more than one person. Unless you permanently rig all cars to stop when the policemen want them too. I would vote for that. If you haven't done anything wrong then there is no reason why your car shouldn't be automatically stopped by the police. But then so many knuckleheads would scream that it is an invasion of privacy or some other lame thing like that.

@sandiegoluv

Non taken, I work for the medical field too, we get many cases like this , I hate it when just innocent people that are at the wrong place at the wrong time, nothing on this world we write here , will bring that poor nurse back, probably going home tired after a 36 hour shift, I know

nobody here pays my bills or my mortgage , so, I dont take things personals

we are here to express opinions , It what JT wants,,,,lol

@Thomas. So, by your logic we just let them go about their business and tally up the dead when they get home and then make them pay for it, instead of trying to stop them from running people over. Furthermore, you assume way, way, way too much by saying that the guy was probably stopping for lights when he showed that he can't even stop for the police. No, it should not work that way where we just leave everyone's safety up to the discretion of the law breaking citizen and hope he doesn't knock anyone off and punish him when he gets around to getting home. The police are there to prevent danger from happening to us. They are not there to just punish those who break the law afterwards. So, in other words, just run everyone over and we will deal with it when you are all done. Does that just seem backwards to me????

Oh and enough with the choppers. Hasn't anyone ever seen a video of choppers pursuing a car? The drivers actually try to out maneuver the choppers as well. It doesn't help at all. It just makes sure that the guy doesn't slip away form the pursuing police cars for crying out loud.

A blockade? That doesn't work well in any country. Just as soon as you got a blockade up, they just turn down a street and avoid it and with all the curving roads in Japan I doubt that would even be a possibility. It might work a little in the States on some country road but it is not used that often in the States either. Where is that system still used with much luck?

Cricky

Most Police forces have a do not peruse policy get them latter policy. Really???? What countries are those? T

sandiegoluv:

The New Zealand police have just such a "do not pursue" policy. If the officers at the scene judge that pursuit would endanger lives, they are required to abandon the chase. Other units can be directed to trap the offender with road blocks, etc. This policy is not perfect, but on balance it seems to result in fewer deaths and injuries than an all-out pursuit strategy.

Would you and so many others NOT have come out against the police

As I said, I never meant to imply that the police were at fault here. It sounds like a no-win situation from the start. However, I would suggest Japan adopt a system that has worked quite well in New Zealand. It's called the Independent Police Complaints Authority. All complaints against the police are investigated independently and transparently, and whenever a police action (or failure to act) results in injury or death, or if a high-speed chase occurs, an investigation is carried out automatically, or if a firearm is used. That protects the public and the police.

I have a lot of sympathy for the police, and I have many friends in the Japanese police. That's why I think it's important for the Japanese police authorities to set up clear guidelines and policies and robust systems to protect their officers. I also think training could be improved.

Just get the plate number and get them at home!

they can't! i believe under japanese law they have to catch you in the act. that's why they used to have to cable parking tickets to the car and you had to go to the police box to get it taken off. otherwise, they have no way to prove that you were the one breaking the law. same with speeding cameras, if your face is obscured they can't issue a ticket.

Judging what the police did in hindsight in this case is ridiculously incorrect. They are being unfairly damned for what they did, and would have been blasted out of the water by so many of you posters if they had not done anything at all and the same accident had have happened.

You can ignore my comments and thumb me down all you want to because you don't like something I had said in the past and you know who you are, but the fact is quite simple: If the police had done nothing and just written down his license plate and this man had gone on to hit someone and killed them like in this case, you people would be screaming incompetence and all kinds of things and with good reason.

This is undeniable and if you say you wouldn't you are lying BIG TIME and just trying to be stubborn. You can't have it both ways.

Judging what the police did in hindsight in this case is ridiculously incorrect. They are being unfairly damned for what they did, and would have been blasted out of the water by so many of you posters if they had not done anything at all and the same accident had have happened.

You can ignore my comments and thumb me down all you want to because you don't like something I had said in the past and you know who you are, but the fact is quite simple:

If the police had done nothing and just written down his license plate and this man had gone on to hit someone and killed them like in this case, you people would be screaming incompetence and all kinds of things and with good reason.

This is undeniable and if you say you wouldn't you are lying BIG TIME and just trying to be stubborn. You can't have it both ways. So, thumb down all you want. No biggie at all. Fact is fact!

To all those saying why didn't they just take his number?

Maybe they couldn't get close enough to get the number...

Police car chases are fine for movies but in real life this is what often happens. Police chases endanger civilians. We don't need them. Nothing can justify this poor woman's death. Nothing.

@Herve Exactly!!! He is the one and the only one at fault here.

Let me lay one more things out there for you guys who are so willing to jump on and blame the police, when you know you would do the opposite if they hadn't done what they did and the same result happened.

I used to live on a very heavily used rode. I saw a number of chases on that road by police and I used to laugh at them, because they were so different from anything I had seen in my own country. They would follow at least 50 meters behind the car, which is so different from what I saw in the States where policemen regularly chase cars down the street. They attack the back bumper of the cars and try to make them swerve in order to make them stop. They put chained spikes on the road. They do all kind of dangerous things that the Japanese police never, ever do. They are like pussycats compared to the ones in the States. They just slowly follow along which leads me to think of another possible scenario that most of you probably didn't take the time to think about. Because the police were following so ridiculously far behind that nutcase, he probably hadn't changed his speed that much anyway and probably would have slammed into the poor lady anyways. If not, he most likely would have nailed someone anyways. I know most of you when you think of police car chases, NY or Los Angeles probably comes to mind. But if you have ever seen one here, you will think that the police were in no way, shape or form practicing what the LA policemen do. Their idea is just to follow until you run out of gas or get stuck in traffic and cannot go anywhere, whereas LA/NY policemen try to get you off the road as soon as possible, by any means necessary. It is not the same here. These guys are pussycats. If you don't believe me than go out to jurokugo and watch what they do. You will be shocked and how nice and far away the police actually are when they pursue someone who is going at a high speed.

@Uncle buddah. No offense meant, bro. Just can't agree with the logic. Sorry. By the way, there is actually no offense meant to anyone here. I am just saying, so please forgive me if I came down hard on anyone.

One more thing, please, if you don't mind. I forgot who said that the nurse might have been at fault because she probably didn't stop when she heard the siren, but think about this.

The car was traveling 100 ks. The jerks car was really booking it. The police car was at least 50 to 100 meters away from that car. That means that by the time she entered that intersection that there is an extremely strong chance that she never even had a chance to hear anything anything at all but the crunch of the metal. 100ks is some serious speed. That is highway speed. If you go over that they suspend your license. I don't doubt that that poor nurse never even had a chance.

RIP NURSE Yukari Shimizu! You didn't deserve that.

Here is a link to the video that you all can see. This nutcase went flying by the police car at a ridiculous high speed, with his stereo blasting away. The police car started to follow him. He ran the stop sign. And ran right into the woman. So, the police most likely had nothing to do with it at all anyways. He was going to run into her no matter what the police did.

It was in a countryside area and it was in the wee hours of the morning, which translates to a much lower risk of resulting in disaster than if it had been on the streets of Tokyo or one of the other big cities. So the police were even more right to pursue. I doubt a chopper in this area could be found. Nor is this area loaded with cameras like a lot of people have suggested should have been one of the only things used to find out who the guy was in order to arrest him later.

Watch the video. I want to know more about this. Was this guy drinking or on drugs? How long was the pursuit? I am thinking it couldn't have been very long.

Here is the link to view the scene and a witness to the accident and what the police said.< http://www.newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/97070.php>

@Alan If such a policy exists in New Zealand it most likely exists under completely opposite conditions. The conditions in this chase were of very low risk. A low densely populated area in the dead of night. (There wasn't even a traffic light.) If you can't pursue in that area, then there is basically no other area that you can pursue in. PERIOD.

Lay blame where it squarely belongs. The nutcase driver who sped past the police car going 100ks. Yeah, past the squad car. This guy was flying down the road way before the police tried to stop him and was dumb enough to pass them by at dangerous speeds. He should be sent to prison for the rest of his measly life. No sympathy whatsoever and no need to place blame anywhere else but where it obviously should be.

@madamel Well put. Blame the dirtbag who didn't stop.

sandiegoluv NZ has this policy, Australia too. Germany has a policy as does Canada. And I'm checking many states in the US also have a policy that terminates a chase once certain parameters are reached mostly to do with harm or prevention of harm to citizens, some have sleep limits for Police. Training as Alan mentioned and laws that are pratical help. Co-ordination between Police areas is essential for quick and accurate response. This ended badly, despite the polices effects to I imagine end it sooner. As Alan mentioned an independent body investigating these matters can recommend improvements. There is always room for improvements.

@Allan - Maybe we are not so much on opposite sides of the fence. I agree mostly with what you said. I am all for an independent Police Complaint Authority. And, yes, it was a no win situation from the start for the police in this and so many other cases. Since you agree with that, then you have to also agree that no matter what the police would have done, so many people would have complained no matter what.

Yes, a system like that would most likely help. But it still would not have changed the outcome of this particular incident, that would not have been a deterrent whatsoever and it certainly will not be one in the future if enacted. Hence the problem would still be present.

Yes, more training would certainly help. Of course. But the problem most likely would still be the people complaining about the police, especially when someone innocent person is killed. For me, it's a matter of a bunch of people criticizing the police at every single turn just because they either don't like them or just want something to complain about. I am not a fan of the police here and find their methods very irritating.

I still say the police having the ability to turn people's cars off remotely is the only solution to the problem.

@fds - That is the point I tried to make earlier. Without actually grabbing you in the process, all you have to do is say you weren't there and that it wasn't you. But here the police arrest you anyway. They don't buy the bull that people give them and just arrest people and keep them for 23 days without a lawyer. Now, that is the system that must also change.

@FDS - Either way you are in hot water. Just people don't realize it, and try to run thinking they can use the lame excuse of, "It-wasn't-me" nonsense, as if nobody has every tried that before. What a bunch of morons those people are.

Oooops forgot to finish my sentence.

I am not a fan of the police here and find their methods very irritating but they are not at fault this time.

.

The problem with that is someone could get hurt due to this persons irresponsible driving.

Somebody got worse than hurt! Somebody got dead!

Lots of questions. I would like to see the roads this happened on. Didn't the nurse hear the siren? Didn't it make her extra cautious?

Some stretches of road its just not worth pursuing someone speeding, especially with notoriously low Japanese limits. Whats the use of pushing someone from speeding at 70 kph to 100 kph? Just get the plate number and get them at home!

Well everyone but the nurse. Is to blame. It makes sense the speeder is a wreckless person, and that that kind of driving can result in motor vehical collisions. However, I think we are not so much blaming the police officer but more so police protocol may need review.

@Allan, Don't misunderstand me, please. I agree with you on the last part completely. If there were another way to control the situation without putting anyone at risk that would be the best thing for all. Hands down. But the reality is that after all of this time they have not come up with that plan. I am sure that if I do a bit of research I can find that the system of which you speak of so highly has also resulted in the death of innocent people as well due to the lack of police pursuit. You can not deny that. I am sure we could find that in many countries.

the first priority is to get the speedster to slow down. Usually the police can do that by flashing their lights and sounding the siren.

Uhmmm. That should be enough right there, but wasn't. Like I said before, this accident was most likely going to happen anyway, and I doubt that the police chase had anything to do with it at all. Due to the fact that, that nut passed the police car, which was not in pursuit at all, going 100kilos at the time. He was speeding ridiculously and was a severe danger to anyone and everyone out that night.

If that doesn't work, chasing is likely to make the situation more dangerous, since the police can never be sure what lies ahead on the road.

And it works both ways as well. The police did not know what lied ahead either, therefore it was necessary to try to stop him before he ran someone down.

Therefore judging what the police did in hindsight is incorrect. They are being unfairly damned for what they did, and would have been blasted out of the water by so many if they had not done anything at the same accident had have happened.

I mean no disrespect to you, but please answer this one question for me.

Would you and so many others NOT have come out against the police if it came out later that this guy had run someone over because the police just took down his license plate and left him alone or had taken the time to set up road blocks just to have go down another street? Would you have come out against them? I can't believe I am the one defending the J-cops. WOW!

Come on now, you can't have it both ways, my friend. People would be screaming bloody incompetence, either way. Which is why the only way to go, is to have cars connected to a system where the police can automatically, remotely shut them down. If not, there is no other safe way to do this.

Damned if they do, and damned if they don't. And that is not fair. This should not even be a discussion. All of the fault should be placed 100% on the guy who would not stop and killed that poor nurse.

Cops. You are not Steve McQueen. Let em go. Someone is dead now.

Theres enough police in this country, why didnt they arrange a blockade just down the road, police car chases just lead to frightfully more dangerous driving For all we know, before the police took chase, the idiot was still stopping at the lights Leave the loon to the cameras and theres a chance theres an accident, start a chase and accidents are almost impossible to avoid Awkward situation yes... but a car chase in a country with police every ten mins apart and plenty of helicopters...

this happens in California so often!!!! has anyone seen Police wildest videos?? when police chase usually end up in crashes, just let the morons think they lost the police , japan has so many police helicopters,,,,use them .

This is the driver's fault not that of the police.

Both may be at fault. The driver? Definitely. The police? Maybe. It depends on how long they gave chase, etc.

Maybe they couldn't get close enough to get the number...

Maybe. But if they did get the number but kept chasing, they share blame for sure. I can understand some actions like using the PA system, lights and siren to get people to pull over, but the police should never actually give chase though. The instant it becomes a chase, the police should relent, especially if its just a speeder.

Police its at fault!! just dont flash the lights, record the incident , use one of the millions of the streets cameras get the tag number of the car and pick this irresponsible driver at home,!!