Current Events > Shoplifter commits suicide rather than being arrested by the police.

(+) Yeah! (+)

A man, suspected of being a shoplifter, jumped to his death from his apartment balcony while police officers were waiting inside for him in Oita City, Oita Prefecture.

According to an NHK report, a drugstore called police at around 7:30 p.m. on Friday and said that a man had left the store without paying for some items.

Police searched the area and found a man in his 40s answering the description of the alleged shoplifter at around 9:30 p.m. They asked the man to accompany them to the police station for voluntary questioning. The man requested that he be allowed to go back to his apartment to pick up some personal items.

The police officers went with him. When they entered the fourth-floor apartment, they waited in the living room while the man went into another room. He then went out onto the balcony and jumped.

The suspect was taken to hospital where he died of his injuries at around 11 p.m

Full Article: https://japantoday.com/category/crime/shoplifting-suspect-jumps-to-his-death-from-apartment-balcony-while-police-inside

Jesus that's sad.

The guy was probably depressed and out of his mind.

Haven't read the article but how do we know... you know...the police didn't do it?

I feel like this being in Japan is probably useful context.

MorbidFaithless posted...

Haven't read the article but how do we know... you know...the police didn't do it?

Username checks out

The cops in this story are dumb as fuck. Not for letting him go back to his apartment, but for letting him out of their sight to walk into a different room unaccompanied. This man was supposed to be in custody. He could have just as easily come back with a weapon or something

Suolevram posted...

Username checks out

It's the world we live in, baybeee

He said they'd never take him alive and sure enough he meant it.

Fuck that drug store

It would be Japan

VampireCoyote posted...

Fuck that drug store

wut

UnfairRepresent posted...

wut

fuck em he said

They may have had some other thing they were hiding.

DipDipDiver posted...

The cops in this story are dumb as fuck. Not for letting him go back to his apartment, but for letting him out of their sight to walk into a different room unaccompanied. This man was supposed to be in custody. He could have just as easily come back with a weapon or something

He wasn't under arrest. He was asked to come to the station voluntarily for questioning (had he refused they likely would have started the process to get a warrant for his arrest, but it wouldn't have been possible on the spot). That's usually how it works here. And also people attacking police with weapons isn't a huge concern here. Japan isn't America.

UnfairRepresent posted...

The police officers went with him. When they entered the fourth-floor apartment, they waited in the living room while the man went into another room.

Wow!

The lack of fear of getting shot sure makes those retail employees very bold.

UnfairRepresent posted...

wut

you heard me

what did he take that was so bad? Probably some pain medication for his kidneys and a granola

Rip

VampireCoyote posted...

you heard me

what did he take that was so bad? Probably some pain medication for his kidneys and a granola

He would need a prescription for pain medication and there's no reason to steal that, because medicine isn't expensive and your insurance will cover it anyway (if you don't have a job, the public insurance you have will pay for it). Again this is Japan. Also I have only ever seen granola in huge ass bags here. You would get caught stealing that pretty easily.

He wasn't Russian by any chance, was he?

ssjevot posted...

He would need a prescription for pain medication and there's no reason to steal that, because medicine isn't expensive and your insurance will cover it anyway (if you don't have a job, the public insurance you have will pay for it). Again this is Japan. Also I have only ever seen granola in huge ass bags here. You would get caught stealing that pretty easily.

victim blaming

ssjevot posted...

He wasn't under arrest. He was asked to come to the station voluntarily for questioning (had he refused they likely would have started the process to get a warrant for his arrest, but it wouldn't have been possible on the spot). That's usually how it works here. And also people attacking police with weapons isn't a huge concern here. Japan isn't America.

Is it like South Korea where the cops try their best to "smooth" things over so they don't have to do paperwork and stuff?

Like here, they would have just had the guy bring back the stolen stuff, apologize, and then try and get the store to not press charges.

VampireCoyote posted...

victim blaming

Not even remotely. He was in a bad place long before this happened and didn't get the help he needed due to severe social stigma over mental health and a general lack of concern for those who have checked out of society. But people talking about random American shit that doesn't apply to Japan isn't why this happened.

ssjevot posted...

Not even remotely. He was in a bad place long before this happened and didn't get the help he needed due to severe social stigma over mental health and a general lack of concern for those who have checked out of society. But people talking about random American shit that doesn't apply to Japan isn't why this happened.

omg mansplain much

Kastrada posted...

Is it like South Korea where the cops try their best to "smooth" things over so they don't have to do paperwork and stuff?

Like here, they would have just had the guy bring back the stolen stuff, apologize, and then try and get the store to not press charges.

Yeah. The cops don't want to actually go through the criminal process. Most people who are arrested are released without charge, even for serious crimes. It's the same reason Japan has a 99% conviction rate. They only press charges if they are sure they will be found guilty, because a not guilty charge can ruin your career as a prosecutor (the idea being that if he wasn't guilty and you tried to prove he was anyway, you should not be a prosecutor). You end up with this situation where foreigners will complain about Japanese conviction rates, while praising the low crime rate and prison population in Japan, failing to realize the connection. The truth is most people just don't get in any real trouble. Even for major crimes.

VampireCoyote posted...

omg mansplain much

Dude you proposed an impossible situation.

ssjevot posted...

Yeah. The cops don't want to actually go through the criminal process. Most people who are arrested are released without charge, even for serious crimes. It's the same reason Japan has a 99% conviction rate. They only press charges if they are sure they will be found guilty, because a not guilty charge can ruin your career as a prosecutor (the idea being that if he wasn't guilty and you tried to prove he was anyway, you should not be a prosecutor). You end up with this situation where foreigners will complain about Japanese conviction rates, while praising the low crime rate and prison population in Japan, failing to realize the connection. The truth is most people just don't get in any real trouble. Even for major crimes.

Yeah that's how it is here. Actually, it's pretty openly corrupt. It's a universal understanding that a person can get away with anything if they were drunk. The excuse is they wouldn't act like that in a sober state. That plus blood money.

Kastrada posted...

Yeah that's how it is here. Actually, it's pretty openly corrupt. It's a universal understanding that a person can get away with anything if they were drunk. The excuse is they wouldn't act like that in a sober state. That plus blood money.

Dude the drunk excuse is fucking terrible. It works way too well. At least drunk driving is zero tolerance here. Very different than the US. You do it once your license is gone, your work will probably fire you, everyone will consider you a bad person, might as well move.

VampireCoyote posted...

you heard me

what did he take that was so bad? Probably some pain medication for his kidneys and a granola

It's not the drug store's fault. They have every right to call the police on shoplifeters

UnfairRepresent posted...

It's not the drug store's fault. They have every right to call the police on shoplifeters

hope theyre happy

VampireCoyote posted...

victim blaming

Yes, the thief is a victim.

gmanthebest posted...

Yes, the thief is a victim.

I mean he probably is.

A man in his 40s doesn't rob a drug store and then commit suicide rather than pay a fine/serve very minute jail time unless something is seriously wrong.

Obviously I don't know this guy's circumstances but I suspect he was depressed, broke, single, desperate and had mental health issues.

And society didn't care.