KURIHARA, Miyagi — A man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after driving a truck into an elementary school and ramming into several students on July 6 has admitted that he intentionally hit the children, investigators said.
Miyagi Prefectural Police’s Wakayanagi Police Station received an emergency report from Kurihara Municipal Wakayanagi Elementary School at around 3:10 p.m., saying, “Students were hit by a vehicle that entered the grounds.” According to the police station and other sources, the vehicle was a light truck, and four fourth graders at the school sustained head and other injuries. All of them are conscious and are not considered to be in critical condition.
The driver, Akinori Onodera, 34, a resident of the same city of unknown occupation, was arrested on the spot and has reportedly admitted to the allegations. He was apparently not acquainted with any of the victims, and the police are investigating his motive.
The police station and the Kurihara Municipal Board of Education said two boys and two girls who were taking part in after-school club activities sustained injuries. Three of them were rushed to the hospital, and the other one visited a medical institution after returning home. Onodera is believed to have entered the school grounds through a service entrance used by vendors and parents, and hit the children near an asphalt-paved pathway leading to the school building.
(Japanese original by Hironori Tsuchie, Sendai Bureau)
Credit: Source link
