According to ANN and TV Asahi on April 6, authorities received a report that on the afternoon of April 5 a woman in her 40s was bitten on her right arm by an elderly man in his 80s at a cherry-blossom viewing spot in Kawanishi City, Hyogo Prefecture.
Officers at the scene arrested an 89-year-old man on suspicion of biting the woman’s arm. Reports say the man denied the allegation and sat down when police tried to take him into custody.
Because of his age, police reportedly placed him on a stretcher and moved him into the patrol car. While transporting him to the station, his complexion deteriorated rapidly and he stopped responding to questions.
Police rushed him to a hospital, but he died about an hour and a half later. The woman who was bitten sustained injuries to her arm but is not in life-threatening condition.
Local police said, “We did not use excessive force, such as strong restraint, during the arrest,” and added that they are investigating the exact cause of the man’s death.
