An 18-year-old youth was arrested for burglary on Saturday, accused of robbing a FamilyMart convenience store in Mino City of about 40,000 yen early Saturday morning, police said Sunday.
The suspect, who cannot be named because he is a minor, is accused of entering the convenience store at about 4.30 a.m. and threatening the 33-year-old male employee behind the counter with a knife. He told the employee to hand over some cash and the employee put about 40,000 yen into a plastic bag. The youth took the bag and the employee was not harmed, police said.
Two police officers happened to be in the area when the youth came out of the store, and gave chase when he suddenly took off on his bicycle. They lost track of him about 500 meters from the store, but police later found a bicycle that resembled the one the youth was riding parked outside an apartment building. They confirmed the bicycle registration and the youth admitted to the burglary after being questioned by police.
Police said that four other convenience stores in Mino City and neighboring Ikeda City had been robbed in July, and they are investigating if the youth was involved.
© News reports
12 Comments
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buggerlugs
After reading the headline I thought "THEY GOT ONE, they finally got one" with those stupid bicycle checks but I was wrong. Damn you for my false hope...
TokyoGas
buggerlugs - you took the words right out of my mouth. I thought it would be something similar...
PleasureGelf
Still, a good excuse to do more bicycle checks
nisegaijin
it wasn't a routine bicycle check. they found a bicycle matching the description. the kid was stupid to steal stuff while riding registered bicycle. on the other hand, cops loosing him after 500m? sloppy.
bobbafett
depending on the situation. usually a couple of unfit, lazy, j-cops should have no chance against an 18 year old in a bike race.
timorborder
Hate to split hairs, but armed with a knife does not sound like a charge of burglary. What about armed robbery or robbery with menace?
PepinGalarga
man, finally they catch someone with these "checks". this is terrible for the rest of us. they should go out and do some real police work.
ZetaSagittarii
This general article lacks data, like usual, but I guess the robber, not thief, must have ridden a very distinct bicycle and lived close to the place of action. Anyway, his IQ apparently floats somewhere in the low double-digit zone.
TokyoXtreme
And the crime was perpetrated by an 18-year-old child.
jonobugs
I'm not sure if 18 years old should be considered a minor for crimes. Also, it wasn't a bicycle check, but rather that the police took chase because the boy suddenly took off (ie. was a very suspicious character).
Had the boy calmly rode off the police might not have even noticed him until the clerk said something. Or perhaps the clerk alerted the police as the boy was leaving.
In any case, it certainly doesn't sound like a normal 'bicycle check'.
bcbrownboy
Child indeed. Sounds like an adult crime.
Den Den
And the armed robbery getaway vehicle was a...bicycle? Don't J-kids watch American cop shows?