Police in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, have arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after he stretched a rope across a narrow road, knocking a man off his motorcycle.
According to police, Koichi Deki, 41, a part-time employee, who was arrested on Saturday, has admitted to the charge and said he did it to relieve stress but insisted he had no intent to kill anyone, Fuji TV reported.
Street surveillance camera footage showed the suspect carrying a sign with a rope attached to it at around 3:35 a.m. on Dec 26. One end of the rope was attached to a pole by the side of the narrow road and the man placed the sign on the other side of the road. The rope was stretched across the road, about waist high.
The area was deserted at the time. Around 15 seconds later, a 45-year-old male motorcyclist was knocked off his bike and suffered a hip injury and minor injuries to his back.
Police said Deki, who lives in the neighborhood, had earlier taken the sign from the parking lot of a store. The store owner said he uses the sign and rope to keep cars from entering the parking lot after business hours.
Deki emerged as a suspect after police reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed local residents.
Deki was quoted by police as saying he was stressed out and that he knew his rope prank, as he called it, would pose a danger to motorcyclists, but he did not think it would kill anyone.
© Japan Today
22 Comments
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Disillusioned
His rope prank? If the motorcyclist had died he could have been facing a different kind of 'rope prank'.
This is an extremely dangerous prank that happens all over the world. Many years ago, one of my friends received serious injuries to the tendons in his elbows from a piece of piano wire strung across a track by a local resident who didn't want trail bikes riding through the area. The person was arrested and spent five years in jail for attempted murder. Somehow, I doubt if this idiot's sentence will be anywhere near as severe as he deserves. TIJ!
Serrano
"he knew his rope prank, as he called it, would pose a danger to motorcyclists"
He is a danger to society. Lock him up.
Yubaru
"Stress relief"? Gimme a break, next time use the rope yourself and save the government the expense and trouble!
Speed
Gotta hand it to the police for nabbing the knucklehead so quickly. Less dummies on the streets the better. Pretty stupid way to "relieve stress".
Ramzel
Reminds me of the movie “the counselor”
very dangerous act!
JeffLee
I would like it would generate a heck of a lot of stress, trying to evade cops, having to lay low, etc.
BeerDeliveryGuy
I often ride a motorbike, and stories like these, and my friend’s dad having his face mangled by one is why I wear a full face racing quality helmet even in the summer. Rope traps are no joke. They are lethal enough for the army to retro-fit their humvee gunner seats with rope cutters.
Garthgoyle
Slam him with attempted murder coz that's exactly what stretching a rope across a road is. Some years ask some kids did that and the motorcyclist ended up with a cracked skull.
gogogo
Music is very tasteless in the video.
Bugle Boy of Company B
My brother and I did something similar when we were younger and stupid. We got tired of snowmobilers coming through our property so we made a few booby traps. A rope across the trail was one, a swinging log was another.
We watched as a driver got caught by the rope. He was rubbing his neck and I then realized how dangerous the trap was. The snowmobiles stayed away after that incident, but I regret doing it and am glad the driver was not seriously injured.
Gaijin Desi
Few of them still exist in Japan !!!
kurisupisu
Stupidity at its finest....
Nippori Nick
Does "relieve stress" somehow have a different meaning in Japan that most parts of the world.
I mean google ways to relieve stress. I guarantee stringing a rope across a road will not show up.
HARRYO
Operating a motorcycle is dangerous enough but to have an idiot say he was stressed out and that he knew his rope prank as he called it would injure people makes it even more dangerous. Now what happens next time he feels stressed ??
starpunk
'Stress relief'? This Deki guy thinks it's a prank but he's just a juvenile jerk!
since1981
Why is it that so many crimes in Japan are due to "I was drunk and don't remember" and "I was stressed out" Strange society we live in. And People, before you do something stupid remember, THERE ARE CAMERAS EVERYWHERE!!!!
BeerDeliveryGuy
No, the best way to deal with Bosozoku would guidance, community service, and juvenile rehabilitation. Not trying to decapitate them.
Some of the nicest guys I know are reformed Boso and Yankii.
bearandrodent
When we first moved to Japan 25 years ago, we had bosozoku plague the neighborhood parks after midnight. It was a “somewhat well known practice” for people to do this to keep them at bay when the police wouldn’t / couldn’t do anything. These were residential streets (but of course nothing to keep them from going 100 kpm), but they never came back.
Ex_Res
The man is a complete idiot, and the charge of attempted murder is appropriate.
We all get stressed out from time to time, but don't try to relieve it by actions which could kill ot seriously injure somebody.
bones
Sounds like something from a Warner brothers cartoon