News On Japan

Man used toy gun in 3 convenience store robberies

Sep 10, 2019 (tokyoreporter.com) - Tokyo Metropolitan Police are hunting for a man who used what was likely a toy gun to rob three convenience stores in the capital early Sunday, reports NHK (Sept. 8).

At around 4 a.m., the man entered an outlet of FamilyMart in the Asagaya area of Suginami Ward and threatened a male clerk with the gun.

“Hand over the money,” the man reportedly said before fleeing by bicycle with 100,000 yen in cash.

According to police, the suspect told the clerk that the gun was a Walther P38. An examination of security camera footage, however, revealed that it was probably an air gun.

A man with an air gun robbed an outlet of FamilyMart in Suginami Ward early Sunday (NHK)

Standing around 180 centimeters tall, the man was wearing a blue suit and sunglasses. He is believed to be in his 30s, police said.

About five minutes after the incident, the same man is believed to have wielded the same air gun in the robbery of an outlet of Lawson located near the Suginami Ward office.

At around 12:30 a.m., he is also believed to have used the toy to rob another outlet of FamilyMart in the Nishi Shinjuku area of Shinjuku Ward.

There were no injuries in the robberies, police said.

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