Two men arrested after storming Tokyo elementary school and injuring staff
Two men were arrested after breaking into an elementary school in the city of Tachikawa, western Tokyo, on Thursday morning, injuring five staff members in the process, police said.
According to Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department, the incident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. at Tachikawa Municipal 3rd Elementary School. A school staff member called emergency services after the intruders entered the school building and began smashing windows.
The men, in their 30s and 40s, entered the first-floor staff room, where they began smashing windows there. They also made their way to a second-floor classroom used by second-grade students.
School staff subdued and detained the suspects on-site. Five teachers or staff members — including a school clerk in his 70s and a teacher in his 50s — sustained injuries, though authorities said none appeared to be serious. No students were harmed.
Officers from the local police station arrived at the scene and arrested both suspects on the spot on suspicion of assault.
According to police, the incident began when the mother of a female student visited the school that morning for a consultation, as reported by the Asahi Shimbun. Unable to reach an agreement with the school, she contacted one of the men, who is an acquaintance. Later, the two suspects entered a classroom on the second floor and the staff room on the first floor, eventually causing a commotion in the hallway outside the staff room. Police are questioning the mother about the incident.
The incident prompted concern among local residents and passersby.
'I went outside when I heard the sirens and saw emergency vehicles everywhere,' a 79-year-old man who lives near the school told NHK. 'There have been a lot of incidents like this lately. It's very worrying,' he added.
A woman working near the school commented, 'The sound of sirens was intense. I looked out from my workplace and saw police cars. I have a friend whose child attends this school, so I'm really concerned. It's frightening to think something like this could happen to anyone, anytime.'
Information from Jiji added
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