An 82-year-old man walking in front of a convenience store died after he was hit by a car that crashed into the store in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture on Saturday. The 26-year-old driver of the car has been arrested on suspicion of reckless driving resulting in death, police said.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 7:45 a.m. Saturday, Kyodo News reported. Police said the car jumped the curb and hit Seiichi Sakamoto and then plowed into the convenience store.
Sakamoto was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead. No one in the store was injured.
Police said that prior to the incident, the driver hit several vehicles in the parking lot of his apartment building about 800 meters away before heading out onto the street in the direction of the convenience store.
Police said the driver, whose name hasn’t been released, has no valid driver’s license and that he has a disability but did not give further details. The car belonged to his family who told police he had never driven the car before.
Police said Sunday the man is being questioned further to determine if he can be held criminally liable.
© Japan Today
16 Comments
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sakurasuki
If that car were crashing directly to window of that convenience store there will be more casualty, seeing that crash scene picture looks that cooling unit really slow down that car to enter directly to convenience store.
itsonlyrocknroll
That policeman expression proves a coppers life is not a happy lot.
My condolences to all.
I am afraid, the uniform comes with having to make sense out of such destruction.
Mocheake
They're kidding, right?
Nicolò
Why are convenience stores the main target of self detonation attacks in Japan?
Roy Sophveason
Huh? Sorry, what?
wallace
It was an accident. Vehicular manslaughter.
Rodney
The policewoman will probably quit after this. Driver, no license, not car owner, disability and caused death. Maybe suspended sentence?
Nippori Nick
If this had been the 86 year old as the driver, many commenters here would be saying these "oldies" need to get off the road as they are a danger.
Here we have a 26 year old driver. Why no comments about young people and their poor driving?
Roy Sophveason
Those youngsters driving without a driver's license need to get off the road as they are a danger.
There you go. Satisfied?
itsonlyrocknroll
Sorry policewomen, no disrespect.
Nippori Nick
He was driving a car. How you call that not really a driver is beyond me.
itsonlyrocknroll
There are many unanswered questions
The level of his alleged disabilities, in respect his competence to step into a vehicle too drive.
The reported lack of a driving license?
How the suspect came to to have access to the vehicle?
???
sir_bentley28
I'm sorry........they wanna see if he can be held criminally liable for a crime he committed while doing something he knew he shouldn't have been doing or without the proper requirements AND he took the life of a person? Oh wait.....
.....well in that case!
Kniknaknokkaer
If their disability is a mental one that impairs their judgement then it can be very difficult to determine criminal liability.