crime

Would-be robber wielding toy gun chased down by local man in Hachioji

15 Comments

A man who tried to rob a post office with a toy gun was nabbed after a local resident gave chase in Hachioji, police said Wednesday.

According to police, the incident occurred shortly after midday on Tuesday. TV Asahi reported that the suspect, identified as 63-year-old Yutaka Endo, entered a post office armed with a pistol and demanded cash. Despite the presence of customers in the post office alongside the armed man, staff pressed the emergency alarm, at which point the man attempted to escape by bicycle.

Eyewitnesses said a local resident chased the would-be robber in his car and apprehended him on the street some 400 meters away. Police arrived at the scene and arrested the man. It was later discovered that Endo's gun was a toy replica.

© Japan Today

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15 Comments
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While we could question the logic of a civilian attacking a potentially dangerous criminal, the courage of this unnamed civilian just made my day. More people like you needed, sir!

9 ( +9 / -0 )

This old man's getaway vehicle was a mama-chari? He's no rocket scientist - that's for sure!

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Happy to hear someone actually did something! Yes it was potentially foolish to do what he did, but the likelihood of the gun being real was a quite small percent and if it had been real the likely hood of it having been loaded would have been an even smaller percent. Kudos to the citizen!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Could be one of those old broke guys that try to do a small crime to end up back in jail where they can get fed and bathed.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Wonder what type of toy gun it was.

Tokyo- Marui makes some great 1/1 replicas, a hop-up version of let's say a glock 17 goes for less than 4000yen and doesn't have the coloured nozzle as are required in the states, etc.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

While we could question the logic of a civilian attacking a potentially dangerous criminal, the courage of this unnamed civilian just made my day. More people like you needed, sir!

No one, would question the logic of someone taking on someone with a gun, HERE IN JAPAN, where the likelihood of it being a real firearm is almost less than zero. It's the people that try to wrestle Knives and Swords out of the hands of obvious Nut-Jobs, when there is No upside to them risking everything...

I do venture to ask, what would have happened had this guy pulled a knife and stabbed the would-be hero....? Would it be worth chasing a nut-job with an obvious fake gun, especially when he had gotten away with nothing...?

Critical Thinking and Common-Sense folks - they are not necessarily mutually exclusive!

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Not a supporter of crime, but I think this story has wonderful touch of Mounty Python. Would have loved to see it.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Chin4Sailor:

" Would it be worth chasing a nut-job with an obvious fake gun, especially when he had gotten away with nothing...? "

I would think that after being chased for a half a kilometer on his mama-bike while clutching his toy gun, the suspect was not in a condition to put up a great fight...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Good work on the chaser!

As to the toy-gun thing, it's about time that Japan follow other nations and start putting the bright orange ring on the barrel of toy guns so that they cannot be mistaken as toys. Granted, guns are not as prevalent by any means here as in the US and some other nations, but still.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

do venture to ask, what would have happened had this guy pulled a knife and stabbed the would-be hero....? Would it be worth chasing a nut-job with an obvious fake gun, especially when he had gotten away with nothing...?

Considering the chaser was in his car I highly doubt he was in any danger from being stabbed.

As to the toy-gun thing, it's about time that Japan follow other nations and start putting the bright orange ring on the barrel of toy guns so that they cannot be mistaken as toys. Granted, guns are not as prevalent by any means here as in the US and some other nations, but still.

I think it is a little obvious that it wouldn't be to hard to just simply paint the end black.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

a toy guns ! bought in daiso?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Considering the chaser was in his car I highly doubt he was in any danger from being stabbed.

See this is exactly the kind of mentality that gets innocent people hurt...or killed...

Think about what you are saying, you're going to chase after someone, obviously a nut-job for thinking for a split second that they could rob a post office, in broad day light, with 50 surveillance camera's watching every single centimeter of the shop. And to chase after them, when you already have full digital video of them, you have a post office full of witnesses, and the ojisan, got off with absolutely nothing, other than his toy gun...

And Not too mention, You have absolutely Nothing at all to gain by chasing after him, and everything in the world to lose, like your life, maybe you chase him into the street and he gets hit by a car... ? Then what..? Under Japanese Law, YOU would be Liable...

Didn't we just read about a 20-something convenience store clerk being stabbed to death because he chased after a guy who robbed the convenience store, over a 6-pack of beer...? Worth it...?

It would be a whole Different story if he took a Baby. (probably the only valid reason for a non- Law Enforcement person to be chasing a nut job)

I don't know where to begin... LOL...

Here's a novel Idea... How about expending just one micro-ounce of that pent up Hero-Ism, and next time you see (one of the thousands of) Unrestrained Kids / Infants riding in a car, or the numerous 2 and 3 year old kids playing near the street, you could use that opportunity to spread some Good...!

I'm not bashing the guy for doing a good deed, merely pointing out how silly it was... I'm glad everything turned out for the best! But why chance it...?

MAY. 02, 2013 - 04:15PM JST

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I would think that after being chased for a half a kilometer on his mama-bike while clutching his toy gun, the suspect was not in a condition to put up a great fight...

But it's worth possibly risking your life..? Really..? And You're 100-Percent sure that this guy has no concealed weapons, knives, box cutters, ect..? And You know for a fact he's going to react like a normal non-crazy person when you confront him, corner him..?

Oh, then by all means, risk your life to stop a crazy guy... LOL...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

These Hachioji people were quite lucky! Luckily this fool only had a toy and not a real gun, which in other countries may have resulted in a far worse situation, say like cops in the USA etc..that do not have time to think if it is a real gun or just a good replica, because if it was not a toy and fully loaded, well bang, bang, and somebody will be dead.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

epic fail for the wannabe robber...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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