crime

Man arrested after pit bull attacks police officer at BBQ attended by 30 people

45 Comments

A Shizuoka prefectural police officer was attacked by a pit bull during Golden Week after responding to a complaint about a big group of people barbecuing at a public plaza along the coast in defiance of social distancing guidelines.

The area where the group of about 30 people had gathered was off-limits due to the coronavirus outbreak, Sankei Shimbun reported.

Yasuyuki Aoki, 35, the owner of the four-year-old pit bull terrier, was arrested on Monday on suspicion of gross negligence in allowing his dog to attack the police officer. Police said Aoki, from Mishima City, Shizuoka Prefecture, is allegedly the leader of a loosely-organized criminal gang of delinquents known as Mishima-juku, several of whom have been in trouble with the law before.

The group was attending the barbecue by the sea at Higashi-Izu on May 6. After a nearby resident complained about the noise, a 43-year-old male sergeant from Shimoda police station arrived at the scene around noon and was attacked by the unleashed pit bull. He was bitten on the back of his left knee, requiring eight days to heal.

© Japan Today

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

45 Comments
Login to comment

@Do the hustle

There are no isolation laws in Japan, just 'requests'.

21 ( +21 / -0 )

Two victims in this story; the police officer, and the dog. The dog probably would not have attacked if not first trained to do so. It sounds like the police officer was trying to do his legally and morally mandated duty.

13 ( +16 / -3 )

Pit Bulls should not be sold in pet stores.

13 ( +16 / -3 )

If the officer approached the group aggressively, then he put himself at risk. Had the dog really been angered, the officer would have been in real danger.

A policeman approaching a group of 30 is not going to be aggressive, and not in Japan imo. The owner WAS NOT behaving responsibly knowing what the dog will do and I own dogs

12 ( +13 / -1 )

So, a gang of 30 odd punks deliberately disregard isolation laws and the only charge is the owner of the dog who attacked the cop? Oh, Japan! Get your act together!

8 ( +19 / -11 )

Gotta love pitbull's apologists and their flawed reasoning.

https://www.dogsbite.org/

8 ( +13 / -5 )

Pit bulls.

It’s a wonder they weren’t named curlycue loveandhuggies judging by the excuses that are made on their behalf.

7 ( +14 / -7 )

Pit Bulls should not be sold in pet stores.

No dog breed should be sold in pet shops.

7 ( +10 / -3 )

Thats hilarious! Theres no bad breed of dog? Just owners?

Ok it is not “bad” that a pitbull is aggressive. They are massively powerful.

But when and if they do...your dead, bad dog or not.

7 ( +14 / -7 )

Nearly any breed, including Pomeranian, can be taught to attack

Here's an interesting statistic from the USA over a multi year period regarding dog fatal dog attacks on humans:

Pit bulls contributed to 66% of these deaths. Rottweilers, the second leading canine killer, inflicted 10% of attacks that resulted in human death. Combined, two dog breeds accounted for 76% of the total recorded deaths*
7 ( +11 / -4 )

Brings me back to growing up in East L.A. area where pitbull attacks were a regular occurrence. This is the first time to hear of one here.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

gmeline

Regardless of your link. A pitbull is a bred weapon with lock jaws.

I know they are generally as nice as any dog.

Chihuahua’s nip and snarl at people all the time too. Wheres the bad rep? Pitbulls are just too dangerous dude! When they lose it, people die.

6 ( +11 / -5 )

I've bred and trained Doberman Pinchers here in Japan for over a decade. Copies are also considered vicious attack dogs by uneducated and highly biased people, some of whom have expressed their ignorance here.

Nearly any breed, including Pomeranian, can be taught to attack. In fact, many of the small breed dogs from Asia were originally bred for just that purpose. These very small, but aggressive dogs were kept in the long sleeves of their wealthy female owners to be released to attack robbers.

Blaming the entire breed for the stupidity of one dogs owner is canine bigotry, pure and simple.

5 ( +15 / -10 )

There is a factual, literal reason standing in your face as to why Pitbulls kill

Yes there is.

that can generally be attributed to their being owned by so many clowns as status symbols and a means to intimidate others.

This.

Morons who want to enhance their street cred, threaten others and boast about the size of their genitals don't buy toy dogs

Invalid CSRF

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I wonder if the pitbull excusers on this forum have ever checked why this breed is called "pit bull"? There is a reason for that. They were bred for a purpose, i.e. physical and character traits were selectively emphasized. And that purpose was NOT to cuddle with old ladies.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Dobies, (not Copies), are also considered vicious attack dogs.

Dobies get a bad rap partly for their size (“all big dogs are scary”) and partly for the custom of ear cropping that gives them a mean look. That image could not be further from the truth.

I have personally known three Dobies (two of them my own, one owned by a friend who was won over after seeing mine) and all three have been Great Big Softies.

No personal experience with Pitties, but my gut tells me a Pittie is Just A Dog. If one has a bad attitude, it’s down to the owner, not the breed.

Pommies can be vicious little divvils. Especially when fond owners think little dogs don’t need training or supervision.

It’s only their lack of size that keeps them out of the news.

Usually.

https://www.dogexpert.com/fatal-dog-attack-in-california-on-infant-by-pomeranian/

3 ( +6 / -3 )

“Pitbulls do not have lock jaws”

”All dogs are equal”

”There are no bad dogs, just people”

These are almost comical delusions.

It hardly matters that Pit Bulls are mostly kind and gentle.

There is a factual, literal reason standing in your face as to why Pitbulls kill and Pomeranians don’t!

Bet you think all cats are equal too? Go pet a jaguar then.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Only one police officer sent to deal with a gang of 30? Leaving Japan once I wanted to say goodbye to my two sons. My estranged wife telephoned the police and four police officers duly arrived to tell me to leave!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Flute

“All living things are equal, being good and bad is subjective....”

Man I’m cryin here! This is just gold!

Please please please go sit with poisonous snakes and slap horses on the butt, and pet a tiger.

You just can’t accept that a pitbull is a dangerous dog, even though its the leading killer canine on earth, and most of the deaths are absolutely horrifying!

Have a nice day man

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Pit bulls can be, if properly socialized, very gentle and excellent with children. It’s poor training and abuse that makes them vicious as with almost any breed of dog.

When I was 10, I was dumb enough to pet a poorly trained German Shepard when it was eating. I got 76 stitches in my nose and ear (the ear was almost ripped off) and some artificial cartilage in my ear (the dog swallowed it) for my trouble.

But this does not mean that the breed is inherently vicious. I’ve met some wonderful examples in the years since.

My point being that (pardon my bias, but I’m leaving Tosa off this list) there is no inherently violent breed of dog; merely bad owners. In 2018, I had to put my beloved Odie to sleep. He was the most gentle loving dog you could imagine especially with small children. He was also a Kai-ken which is a breed of Japanese fighting dog.

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Shoulda' "Busted a Cap" in it, BEFORE it bit him, they will distroy is now anyway; yes ?

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Toy poodles are one thing but owning a pit bull should require something akin to a gun ownership license in Japan.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Should've seen it coming ... a barbecue pit bull.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Correction to my earlier comment.

Dobies, (not Copies), are also considered vicious attack dogs.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Why do people want to own aggressive behavior animals?

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Horrible. When I was in the service stationed in the San Francisco area, a boy had his face ripped off by a pit bull - killing him. Since then it's been illegal to even have a pit bull in the city of San Francisco.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

punks deliberately disregard isolation laws and the only charge is the owner of the dog who attacked the cop? Oh, Japan! Get your act together!

Unlike in martial law countries, there are no isolation laws in Japan. The government does not have the right to take away such basic human rights, and I would say that is a sign that they have their act much more together than many Western countries.

0 ( +8 / -8 )

To the Pit Bull Haters:

Help make the world a better place. Study up.

A good first stop: https://edboks.com/2019/04/focus-on-the-deed-not-the-breed-why-pit-bull-bans-cant-solve-fatalities/

Pit bulls reflect the worst of humankind, not just the bad owners but those that blame breeds, any breed.

0 ( +10 / -10 )

The police office should have shot the dog, this would have stopped the attack and would certainly have gotten the attention of the low life scum owners!

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Hello Kitty 321 - @Do the hustle - There are no isolation laws in Japan, just 'requests'.

I'm fully aware of that. That is exactly my point!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

@thepersoniamnow

“Pitbulls do not have lock jaws”

Any proof they have ?

https://blog.sfgate.com/pets/2010/09/10/pet-myths-do-certain-dog-breeds-have-locking-jaws/

”All dogs are equal”

”There are no bad dogs, just people”

Every living being is different. Being good or bad is subjective. Should a bunch of beings be labeled as having some specifics behaviors because they share the same name and a few similar physical traits ?

https://www.pbrc.net/faq.html

There is a factual, literal reason standing in your face as to why Pitbulls kill and Pomeranians don’t!

Because people which want a killing dog will choose to buy a dog which look like it will be able to kill with one bit ? But is not bear sized, too much touble.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livestock_guardian_dog

Bet you think all cats are equal too? Go pet a jaguar then.

Jaguar : Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Feliformia Family: Felidae Subfamily: Pantherinae Genus: Panthera Species: P. onca

Domestic cat : Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Suborder: Feliformia Family: Felidae Subfamily: Felinae Genus: Felis Species: F. catus

If we go for the canis :

Dog (including pomeranian, American bulldog, ...) : Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Canidae Subfamily: Caninae Tribe: Canini Subtribe: Canina Genus: Canis Species: C. lupus Subspecies: C. l. familiaris Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris

It will mean compare dog with 2 extincts sub-families. So we will have to go down, so dogs and tanuki are the same then. Perhaps you should rethink your comparison.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canidae

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caninae

@ kurisupisu

No laws were being broken so why was there a police intervention in the first place?

I will guess for trespassing and noise disturbance :

[...] The area where the group of about 30 people had gathered was off-limits [...] a nearby resident complained about the noise

And police can intervene even if no law is broken as their duty include protecting order, preventing problem and so on.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Pit bulls are bread as fighting dogs, with a high level of aggression and a high tolerance for pain. Dog enthusiasts will often tell you they are are "just dogs", but that is just not true. Just as a Piranha and a Koi are not both "just fish".

These dog breeds should simply recognized and treated as deadly weapons.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

"In the U.S., we have 320 million people and between 77 and 83 million dogs. So your chance of being killed by any type of dog in the U.S. in any given year is one in 10 million.

People who have studied these cases, like Jeffrey Sacks at the CDC, have shown that when it comes to fatalities caused by pit bulls, the breed identifications are often not accurate. The title “pit bull” has expanded so dramatically over the years that people are lumping any dog with a large head and short coat into that category rather than separating out each of the pit bull breeds.

But, first of all, it’s not one breed, it’s four. There’s the American pit bull terrier; the American Staffordshire terrier, which was the American Kennel Club conformation breed that branched off from the American pit bull terrier when folks wanted AKC legitimacy and didn’t want to be associated with the American pit bull terrier riff-raff. There’s the Staffordshire bull terrier, which has been a conformation breed since the 1930s; and the newer breed called the American bully, which was derived from the American Staffordshire terrier in the 1990s.

People who have studied these cases, like Jeffrey Sacks at the CDC, have shown that when it comes to fatalities caused by pit bulls, the breed identifications are often not accurate. The title “pit bull” has expanded so dramatically over the years that people are lumping any dog with a large head and short coat into that category rather than separating out each of the pit bull breeds.

Secondly, there’s no science that bears that idea out. When people say, “Oh, these dogs are bred for fighting,” it’s true that the original breed, the American pit bull terrier, which originated in 1889, was developed for fighting. But the three other breeds that are lumped into this category have always been dog show conformation breeds. They don’t have that heritage. The fact that they get lumped in is part of the problem because we’re basing things on what they look like and not necessarily what they are. [Meet the United States' most popular dog breeds."

"A study tracking 238 human deaths from dog attacks during a 20 year period found that 24% of these attacks involved unrestrained dogs off their owners property. 58% of the deaths involved unrestrained dogs on their owners property. 17% involved restrained dogs on their owners property and less than 1% involved a restrained dog off the owners property.

Male dogs are 6.2 times more likely to bite then female dogs. Sexually intact dogs, both male and female, are 2.6 more times likely to bite than neutered dogs and chained dogs are 2.8 times more likely to bite then unchained dogs."

It's easier to spread misinformation and fear rather than to look at actual facts. Any dog can kill a person, yes, even a teacup poodle. Granted, if you're a healthy adult it's easier to defend yourself against a small dog. Having said that though, a woman was killed by a French Bulldog last week in the Chicago area. He was a rescue she'd taken in, a rescue who'd been trained as a fighting dog.

https://wgntv.com/chicago-news/suburban-woman-mauled-to-death-by-her-french-bulldog/

Any dog which is not trained properly, is not socialized with people and other dogs from a young age, is not loved and treated with consistent kindness, is isolated for long periods of time, is not kept healthy, is not exercised enough, is abused, is taught that people and other dogs present a danger, is not owned by someone who recognizes behavioral warning signs, is owned by someone unable or unwilling to control their dog is a potentially dangerous dog.

https://time.com/5280769/dog-attack-dachshund-woman-oklahoma-death/

If you are interested in facts, it's worthwhile to note how often dog breeds are misidentified, not only by shelter staff but by police and witnesses to dog bites.

https://www.nationalcanineresearchcouncil.com/research-library/summary-analysis-inconsistent-identification-pit-bull-type-dogs-shelter-staff

https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/library/research-studies/current-studies/dog-breeds/dna-results/

https://barkpost.com/good/study-proves-difficult-visually-identify-pit-bulls/

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Only one reason to own a pit bull.

-2 ( +12 / -14 )

I'm surprised the gang wasn't searched and charged for possession of marijuana or other stimulants. I guess thats just for celebs and sumo wrestlers.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

these yobbos will soon turn up on the doorstep of some hospital, complaining of high fever and respiratory difficulty, despite putting themselves in harm's way. Maybe covid-19 is the long-sought cure for stupidity?

Considering the vast majority of cases produce little to no symptoms, I doubt it.

-5 ( +9 / -14 )

If the Police Officer did nothing, what would the outcome be? One needs to consider if just letting it go would be the best decision. Not everything is a fight. Not everything needs to be acted upon.

I say, let them party.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Why do people want to own aggressive behavior animals?

Pit bulls are excellent pets, and great for children. Great companions.

Regardless of your link. A pitbull is a bred weapon with lock jaws.

All big dogs could be called bred weapons. Any big dog can mess you up by biting you.

That's why dogs need proper training.

-7 ( +5 / -12 )

thepersoniamnowMay 12  10:30 pm JST

gmeline

Regardless of your link. A pitbull is a bred weapon with lock jaws.

No, pit bulls do not have locking jaws. Their jaws are the same as any other dogs. If they hold when biting it's due to having been taught to do so. They are not the strongest in terms of bite force and if they do account for a disproportionate amount of dog bites in some countries that can generally be attributed to their being owned by so many clowns as status symbols and a means to intimidate others. They are used in fighting other dogs for gambling purposes and often neglected and or abused when they no longer serve their purpose. Any of those factors can certainly make a dog wary of humans and a wary dog can certainly be a dangerous dog.

You can dislike pit bulls all you want. That's not a problem. I love dogs but am certainly more charmed by some breeds than others. You can have any opinion you want. However, your right to an opinion doesn't make it a fact.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

No laws were being broken so why was there a police intervention in the first place?

-8 ( +1 / -9 )

"Only one reason to own a pit bull"

It's a pet. Pit Bull Terriers, like many other breeds, will defend their "pack members". And dogs are clear indicators of their training. I've had numerous breeds, including Pit Bulls, and they've all been gentle, a reflection of their calm/assertive leader. (Do a little research into Cesar Milan and his dog rehabilitation/owner training).

If the officer approached the group aggressively, then he put himself at risk. Had the dog really been angered, the officer would have been in real danger.

The owner, however, WAS irresponsible for allowing his dog off-leash.

-12 ( +10 / -22 )

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