17 people killed on Keio Line, 24-year-old man sets himself on fire and pulls a knife… “Agonizing Cries” moment

“Run! Run!

“Oh, no!　Oh no!” “Oh no!

From the images in the video obtained by this magazine, we can see how panicked the passengers were. A young man running frantically while screaming, a woman running away while falling and crawling ……. The inside of the train was filled with screams and cries.

Boom!

There was an explosion sound as if something had burst, and then orange flames came from behind the connecting part of the car. The black smoke spread at once. The floor was littered with umbrellas, bags, and other luggage, and the next car was packed with people who had fled.

Smoking in the car as the Joker

At around 8:00 p.m. on October 31, a man sprayed oil-like liquid and set himself on fire inside a 10-car train bound for Shinjuku from Hachioji on the Keio Line. He brandished a knife and injured 17 people, including a man and a woman.

“The suspect, Kyota Hattori (24), whose address and occupation are unknown, was arrested. The suspect, who looked like the Joker, the antagonist of the movie “Batman,” was sitting on a seat smoking a cigarette in a relaxed manner. Some passengers seemed to be suspicious, but since it was Halloween that day, no one was particularly careful.

Hattori committed the crime just after Chofu station. He stabbed a 72-year-old man sitting in the eighth car from the front of the train in the right chest with a knife about 30cm long. The knife reached his lungs, and the man was briefly unconscious and in a critical condition, but he seems to have survived.

After stabbing the man, Hattori moved to the sixth car and set it on fire with lighter oil. After stabbing the man, Hattori moved to the sixth car and sprayed lighter oil on it, burning the floor and seats, causing a fire in the car. 16 men and women in their teens to 60s were taken to the hospital, complaining of pain in their eyes after being sprayed with the liquid.

People running away from the window

The interior of the train was filled with a gasoline-like smell and smoke. The train made an emergency stop at Kokuryo Station, where it was not supposed to stop. The doors did not open immediately, so passengers had to escape through the windows. About 40 fire engines and pump trucks were dispatched to Kokuryo Station. The fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes.

“The suspect, Hattori, who was in the ninth car, was caught red-handed by the responding police officers. He was taken into custody while sitting in his seat without resisting. He gave the following statement to the police. I had a crush on the Joker. I had failed at work and my friendships were not going well, so I wanted to kill multiple people and get the death penalty.

He also said he was referring to the indiscriminate stabbing incident on the Odakyu line that occurred in August. He also said that he was referring to the Odakyu line stabbing incident in August. In the Odakyu line case, the stabbing was done with salad oil. In the Odakyu Line incident, they used salad oil and it didn’t catch fire, so they used lighter oil.

Yasuhei Ogawa, a former detective of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police and a crime journalist, said.

“The statement suggests a strong desire to kill and a sense of planning. Halloween was an easy day to be targeted. Even if the perpetrator is wearing a disguise or carrying a knife, he won’t look suspicious because there are many people in costumes. Since there are more people than usual, it would be convenient for someone who is thinking of committing a random crime.

The suspect may have been in agony because his work and relationships were not going well. He may have had no one to talk to. These days, with the rise of the Internet and social networking sites, there are fewer opportunities to meet people in person. Furthermore, the new coronavirus has accelerated this trend. The killer who lost his outlet may have become desperate, leading to this incident.

No matter how much frustration or depression builds up, it is no reason to justify the incident. No matter how much frustration or pent up frustration you may have, it is no reason to justify the incident. This selfish man’s crime turned a relaxing Sunday train ride into a hellscape.