Police Arrest Men Who Sprayed Fire Extinguisher Through Shibuya Scramble

太地
Two dudes made a mess of Shibuya Scramble early on Christmas Eve, shooting a fire extinguisher as pedestrians and drivers passed.

Want more UJ? Get our FREE newsletter 

Need a preview? See our archives

Well, that was one way to get attention – though probably not the best way. Tokyo police say they’ve apprehended two men – or, more precisely, a man and a boy – who motorbiked through Shibuya Scramble while setting off a fire extinguisher.

The incident occurred on Christmas Eve around 4am. Two males, each on their own bike, took repeated loops through the famous tourist spot despite the presence of pedestrians.

No Title

No Description

Two police officers near Shibuya Station strolled up and yelled at the men to stop, but they kept going. Then, on two separate loops, one of the men sprayed some sort of white smoke behind him – all through a green traffic light. The smoke, which appears to come from a fire extinguisher, obscured driver’s field of vision as they tried to pass.

The men later repeated the same stunt in Kawasaki, about an hour outside of Tokyo.

On December 30th, Tokyo police announced they’d apprehended the suspects: 29-year-old unemployed Kawasaki resident Watanabe Taichi and an unnamed 15-year-old minor.

Watanabe confessed to being the perp. It’s not clear who the 15-year-old is or his relationship to his older companion.

Watanabe will likely face some form of public disturbance charge. As it stands, both men are under arrest for operating motorbikes without a license.

Support independent media

UJ depends on the support of our readers to keep our content 100% free for everyone. Help us in our mission to create content about the Japan you don’t learn about in anime with a recurring or one-time donation to the UJ Journalism Fund.

What to read next

Want more UJ? Get our FREE newsletter 

Need a preview? See our archives

Japan in Translation

Subscribe to our free newsletter for a weekly digest of our best work across platforms (Web, Twitter, YouTube). Your support helps us spread the word about the Japan you don’t learn about in anime.

Want a preview? Read our archives

You’ll get one to two emails from us weekly. For more details, see our privacy policy