A man crashed his truck into the front of his neighbors' house, then slashed four occupants with a saw, in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, on Thursday morning.
According to police, the truck driver, identified as Akihio Hirata, 40, set fire to his apartment and then rammed his 2-ton delivery truck into the the front of the house next door at about 6:20 a.m., TBS reported. Police said Hirata slashed four occupants of the house, including an 84-year-old man, his wife and daughter-in-law. Then he went up to the second floor, tied a rope around his neck and was trying to hang himself when another neighbor who had come to help, subdued him until police arrived.
The neighbor also received cuts but police said neither he nor the occupants of the house had life-threatening injuries.
Hirata has been speaking incoherently, police said, adding that the victims said they had never any trouble with him, TBS reported.
© Japan Today
25 Comments
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Disillusioned
SSSNAP!!! HOLY COW! Hope they have a vacant padded room for this one
drewberculosis
Hmmmmm..................
drugs??
Mirai Hayashi
Saitama loons
WilliB
Drugs. Speed.
CrazyJoe
He may have a grudge or something. There are different kinds of people in the world with an array of perceptions so sometimes it's hard to tell if someone has a grudge against you.
DudeDeuce
You have probably been living in Japan so long that when your friend suggests hanging out in Ikebukuro, you say, "Eeeew, that's where Saitama people hang out. No thank you!"
SauloJpn
Huh, so many questions... very few answers!
Vernie Jefferies
Wow that's very early to get attacked in your own home, and certainly a rude awakening. I hope they all recover quickly from their injuries.
Get Real
Check for loose teeth.
The Chronic
Was he wearing a hat made of tin foil per chance?? The guy must have fallen off the edge. You'd be surprised at how many people are just inches away from cracking.
Saul Schimek
Okay. Rubber Room for this one
sheik_yerbouti
Brain tumour?
TheDevilsAssistant
He may have just made a wrong turn. As for stabbing four people, he could have have post-partem depression so that would make it alright...according to some.
nico00
@TheDevilsAssistant I don't think that people use such reasons to say it's alright. Instead it is given as a reason. If you don't believe mental illnesses can lead to messed up scenarios, then I guess you must think brain damaged individuals are putting on an act?
Disillusioned
No drugs!!! Just wound up so tight after being shit on and told what to do for all his life he just snapped! Welcome to Japan people!
TheDevilsAssistant
Nico00, there are some that think that. I personally think that this man should be held accountable for his actions regardless of his mental state. But as I said, there are some that will use a mental condition to mask the obvious crime he committed.
smithinjapan
Saitama strikes again! It is seriously quite baffling how many crimes come out of that one area in particular.
That said, if he was speaking incoherently before this occurred it's obviously other mental disorder or making it look like a mental disorder. I'm glad none of the injuries are life-threatening, and I hope this person gets the help he clearly needs.
Argus Tuft
The number of Tokyo crime stories reported in newspapers far exceeds Saitama. You will also find that Kanagawa and Chiba prefectures rate about the same as Saitama. It's a nice bandwagon to be on and all that, but there isn't truth to it.
nath
Oh. Saitama, you say?
DudeDeuce
Good to base your judgement by reading articles on this site. Now head on over to your local Koban and ask where the most dangerous in Japan is and I bet you 10,000yen Saitama will not be in the top 5 places.
jumpultimatestars
If this had been a deranged man with a gun 4 people would be dead right now. Japan has good weapon laws but absolutely lacking in support for people with mental issues. Wake up to the signs!
smithinjapan
Argus: "The number of Tokyo crime stories reported in newspapers far exceeds Saitama."
And how much does the population exceed Saitama, pres tel?
Moderator
Back on topic please.
Amidalism
If I was his neighbour and saw him trying to hang himself after causing all of that havoc, I probably would have let him finish what he set out to do.
flammenwerfer
my thoughts too, "need a hand with that knot mate?"