crime

Man clinging to moving car hits utility pole, dies; driver arrested

19 Comments

Police in Tokyo have arrested a 62-year-old man on suspicion of murder after driving his vehicle while a 48-year-old man clung to the door and hit his head against a utility pole on Monday.

According to police, the incident occurred in Shinjuku Ward at around 3:25 p.m. in Nishi-Ochiai, Sankei Shimbun reported. The driver, Hiroshi Toyoda, had been shopping at a nearby supermarket and had parked his car in front of the Azumi Shigeta's home. The two got into an argument, after which Toyoda started to drive away, while Shigeta clung to the passenger door handle.

Shigeta was dragged along for several meters before hitting his head against a utility pole. Toyoda kept on going. A witness called 110 and gave a description of the car. Shigeta was taken to hospital where he died several hours later of head injuries.

Police said Toyoda has denied the charge and quoted him as saying he didn't know that Shigeta was hanging onto the car door.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

19 Comments
Login to comment

the smartest thing you could have ever done, was to let go.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Peripheral vision is less than 180 degrees. When in fight, flight or freeze mode its far less because you get tunnel vision. But even with perfect peripheral vision you cannot tell over just several meters if someone is running alongside your car or being pulled.

And I don't believe he was being dragged, which is what happens when cloths or a body part are snagged. It sounds like he was being pulled because he would not let go. I did the same thing the first time I tried water skiing and fell. I stupidly hung on and got pulled by the boat for a while. That was my own stupid fault and it seems to me, this is also the stupid fault of the man who died.

A key to this story is "several meters". If you gun the engine attempting to flee someone trying to get in your car, then several meters is not nearly enough time to realize they are being pulled much less do something about it. This is all just simple physical reality, not that the Japanese police and court system seem to know anything about it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Police said Toyoda has denied the charge and quoted him as saying he didn't know that Shigeta was hanging onto the car door.

A fly or small insect on the car door? Sure! Why not! I mean nobody notices them really because of their size.

A human on your car door? Perhaps Stevie Wonder won't notice it because he's blind. The passenger door in 100% in your view even if you're looking straight ahead. You're gonna need a better excuse than that one!

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Guy should of let go of the door handle and could of let go of the door handle, its not too hard to realize he is going to be on the losing end of a fight with a car.

The driver was probably in fear of being beaten by an angry nutcase trying to open his car door and so stood on the gas to get away , easy to imagine that scenerio.

Could blame the one who was attacking not the one who was fleeing in fear.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

He knew full well the other man was holding onto the door. He’s a murderer, he’s not so tough now though.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

If this were on a anime, it would be funny! Alas, these occurrences are all too common in Japan these days. You "reap what you sew" and this person's stupid behaviour led to an inevitable end.

When crazy person is trying to attack you, pulling your car door open, the natural human response is to put your foot on the gas and get it of there. Not murder by any stretch of the imagination.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Fighting and cars don’t mix well...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I assume the utility pole was located out on the street as opposed to on a boulevard or sidewalk. I wonder how many Japanese are killed by those things every year. I know at least one.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The driver must have known that someone is next to his car, and if he didn't then he shouldn't be behind the wheel.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

I've seen drama like that in okubo near shinjuku, and in yokohama kanai, gotanda these areas have a lot cat tracks, so sometimes drama may help keep the cats in line , causes every eyes are watching.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

@ fighto - I once watched a woman jump on the hood of her husband's car after he ran out of the house and drove off

12 ( +12 / -0 )

I really don't understand people trying to pretend like a terminator and expecting that they'd be able to cling to a car without getting hurt. On the other hand, if the average driver felt he was attacked and his life is in danger and no law enforcement entity is within the vicinity, he would naturally floor it right away. In my opinion, the driver should not have been arrested, he was just defending himself. It was like that incident in North America (forgot the details, just search it yourself) where a burglar sued the household he was trying to break into because he tripped and injured himself. That's the pinnacle of the legal system right there. Not saying that Shigeta was an idiot, but what was he thinking?

11 ( +12 / -1 )

"Not worth dying over"

but here well....

5 ( +6 / -1 )

"driving his vehicle while a 48-year-old man clung to the door"

48yrs has no bearing...

this aint the first time, it happens every so often , if not a door handle, a hood, side mirror or rooftop. All to perhaps make a cultural or subcultural based point...using the JN lens for strange applications

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Not worth dying over, he should have just let the guy drive away.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

Darwin award coming up. I cant imagine any sane person wanting to hold onto a moving vehicle because of some argument.

21 ( +23 / -2 )

I think the police need to look into this a bit deeper, I cant understand how or why you can hold onto a modern car door handle, they seem to quite smooth, unless he got part of his clothing caught, it sounds like Shigeta san wanted to open the door and pull the driver out and have a fight, but the driver drove off, like most people would.

17 ( +19 / -2 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites