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Tokyo Police Arrest Suspect in Hammer Attack on Students

Police call the case a rare jolt to public safety in Japan.

Overview

  • Teruyuki Takabayashi, 44, was captured Friday in Narashino after a two-day search following Wednesday's hammer assault in Fussa, western Tokyo.
  • Takasbayashi is suspected of striking a 17-year-old in the face with a hammer-like object and injuring another student, with one boy suffering a serious fracture around his left eye.
  • After officers arrived, the suspect pointed a survival knife and sprayed a yellow liquid from a sprayer, and three police reported eye pain and minor ailments.
  • Investigators say he slipped out a back exit during the confusion and was gone when police breached his home hours later, where they found hammers, a knife, and a sprayer.
  • Police say he was previously arrested in October 2023 on suspicion of attempted murder, and the latest incident unfolded near JR Fussa Station by Yokota Air Base.