crime

Yokohama man dies after being 'subdued' by police

27 Comments

Kanagawa prefectural police said Saturday they will launch an investigation to discover why a man died after being pinned down at his home by police officers in Yokohama.

According to police, officers were called to a residence in the city's Izumi Ward at 11:30 a.m. on Friday by the family of a 43-year-old man who was acting violently. TBS reported that when police arrived at the scene, the man allegedly lashed out at officers, who pinned him down.

Around 10 minutes later, the man had lost consciousness, police were quoted as saying. He reportedly slipped into a state of cardiopulmonary arrest moments later. The man was taken to a nearby hospital where doctors fought for two hours to save his life, but were unsuccessful, TBS reported.

Police said an investigation is to be launched in order to ascertain the cause of the man's death and to reconstruct a detailed account of events leading up to the incident.

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27 Comments
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Just a couple of months ago a Japanese woman died when a police officer sat on her to "restrain' her. This is like a repeat. In another country this could result in a charge of involuntary manslaughter but in Japan the police can get away with murder so to speak.

6 ( +15 / -9 )

All Japanese cops are not the same. The friendly Keystone Cop style police you see around are very different from the hard-nosed precinct cops you get in certain areas. Then there are the tooled up cops in full riot gear who are wheeled out for relatively minor scuffles and who are seriously scary.

Also people die being restrained by police all over the world and it is a real problem. In the UK there are many notorious cases and it still happens every year. As for the USA, it's not unknown for the police to shoot innocents dead let alone kill them in a 'restraining procedure' (also happens in the UK, despite the majority of cops being unarmed). You're more likely to see those officers moved to another department or promoted than charged with involuntary manslaughter.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

I have to back up what sense and Cortes have said. I too have witness's multiple cases in which the police put up with verbal abuse and physical resistance FAR past the point where their American counterparts would have employed mace, night sticks, and tazers.

4 ( +12 / -8 )

Since the man is suspiciously dead, an autopsy report will most likely answer most of the questions concerning his demise.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I guess that "pinned him down down" is a swank new term for when you sit on a guy's chest so he can't move. The J-cops seem to do this in groups which is just dangerous. Even one guy tho can kill. I have heard of several cases of this kind of death by cop in jpn the last year alone. It is not a smart way to restrain for longer than like the 20 seconds it will take you and your friends to take control of the guy's arms and legs, after which weight on chest is just extraneous.

rip poor irate guy.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Having done a few years of security work in the past, much of it involving restraining uncooperative people, I can say that it could be the police officers' fault (through poor training or poor technique) or it could have been completely unavoidable. There are some people who work themselves up to such a high emotional state that when they are restrained their hearts and resperitory systems just can't stand the strain and they have a cardiac arrest. I've been present when a man with no past medical history simply stroked out while his arms and legs were being restrained. Luckily we had paramedics on hand.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Maybe it's time for the Japanese police department to introduce tasers?

Amen and whoever is against that means they are for police sitting on a suspect.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Not good!!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

"best in the world, I know because the locals told me"

oh, ya, well there you go, right from the horse's mouth, when somebody tells you they are the best at something, you really got the inside info there.

bass-

that was an out of control video! what is the story behind it?? (it furthermore linked to a gruesome real video of v***nal surgery which I was surprised was on Youtube).

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I Think the problem is that they are not trained for it? Normally the police come and talk to diffuse the situation.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Since the man is suspiciously dead, an autopsy report will most likely answer most of the questions concerning his demise.

I thought, Japanese don't routinely do autopsies? Unless, I'm wrong, they probably might not get a clear definitive answer as to why he died.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

" officers, who pinned him down down."

Yes, and now he's dead dead. That's bad bad.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

There is nothing about the Jaoanese police force that could make one believe they are the best in the world. Koban police could be replaced with manaquins - they are just there as a 'presence'. They have a 99% conviction rate with very poor forensics with most convictions made through forced confessions. Not to mention the numerous misses and mistakes that we often hear about in the media - not that similar things don't happen with police in other countries its just a matter of degrees.

I'd be interested to know what reasoning so called "locals" give for claiming "the best police in the world"

I'd second that.

This might shed some light as to why Japanese law is the way that is and why Japan interestingly has a 99.9% conviction rate, almost every time.

http://128.118.178.162/eps/le/papers/9907/9907001.pdf

Or this one...

http://tokyoprogressive.org/~tpgn/japan/japanesepolice.html

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Back on topic please.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

It was a family dispute and police shouldn't have involved.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Just a couple of months ago a Japanese woman died when a police officer sat on her to "restrain' her. This is like a repeat. In another country this could result in a charge of involuntary manslaughter but in Japan the police can get away with murder so to speak.

@Simondb,

Great! There's no need for an investigation now because you've already determined the cause AND the result! So I wonder... how does it feel to be all-knowing?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Hmmm... "Subdue" must be a new media translation for "semehorobasu."

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

As some of you have suggested in many of these cases the Japanese police seem to not have a clue or the training on how to deal these circumstances.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Strange, in all my years here I have never seen somebody being restrained, let alone being arrested, apart from in those self promoting tv programs like "24 hours with our finest". Well, I for one can't help but feel that the police acted a bit overzealous, kept this fellow in a neck lock a bit too long or sitting on his chest a bit too long. This not exactly the first time I am reading this happening in Japan....Shut up! Shut up! Japan is a first rate..... Perhaps, maybe, but unless this guy was waving a gun or possibly in possession of a weapon, a trained police force would have been able to subdue and arrest or whatever, this lone fellow alive. Anyway, as in previous cases of deaths while "subdueing" suspects, no charges will be filed against these officers.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Police in Japan are very caring. I have a lot of respect for them, they also have lots of patience!

-3 ( +13 / -16 )

I don't really understand what any other country has to do with this. It makes this death seem somewhat justified, because in other places you, the person being subdued or arrested, might be off even worse. According to local legend, Japan's police force is one of the best in the world. I have been told so on various occasions by the locals themselves. I have seen many times on tv that the weapon of choice in a case like this is something resembling an oversized Roman trident, of which they smartly removed the middle spike. Of course, you shouldn't get yourself mixed up in such a situation in the first place, depending in what state of mind the person was in, in which case he or she should have been in a psyciatric hospital or something.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I don't really understand what any other country has to do with this. It makes this death seem somewhat justified, because in other places you, the person being subdued or arrested, might be off even worse.

According to local legend, Japan's police force is one of the best in the world. I have been told so on various occasions by the locals themselves.

You mean the best like this?

http://youtu.be/1B3AlI_Gync

I have been living in Japan for 14 years, there is a reason why it's called "local legend" best in the world, you mean as in politeness?

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

I doubt that his death was a direct result of how he was treated by the police. They usually go out of their way to be polite and respectful. I once counted 13 (yes I said thirteen) police trying to subdue a drunk man who was being uncooperative. Instead of just twisting his arm and taking him to the ground (like police in LA would do) they eventually wrapped him in a blanket to get him under control.

-4 ( +13 / -17 )

You just might be right.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Maybe it's time for the Japanese police department to introduce tasers?

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

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