19-year-old man arrested for making false 119 call in Gunma

Thursday 20th August, 07:00 AM JST

GUNMA —

Police on Wednesday arrested a 19-year-old man for making a false emergency call, claiming that a man in his 40s was running amok with a knife and that he had stabbed five people in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture.

After receiving the 119 call, the Takasaki City fire department dispatched 14 rescuers to the scene, while prefectural police sent 18 patrol cars and a total of 40 officers. When they arrived at the scene, there was no one there except for the suspect, who cannot be named because he is a minor.

The suspect, who has admitted to making the call, was quoted as saying: “I like police, and wanted to see a lot of patrol cars arriving at once as if they were investigating a crime.”

In Takasaki, prank calls have been coming in at a rate of a few a month, and police are currently investigating if the boy had any connection with other incidents.

News reports

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14 Comments

thepro at 09:16 AM JST - 20th August

God, get a job you bum
moonknightskye at 09:30 AM JST - 20th August

hes mentally ill
FryingMonkey at 10:19 AM JST - 20th August

First, how the hell are you going to call him a “man” and then in the next paragraph add “who cannot be named because he is a minor”? Also, to put it as politically as I can; this kid’s a RETARD! Get him help before he hurts somebody!!!
noborito at 10:25 AM JST - 20th August

all crimes in Japan are committed by the same person, if they actually catch someone. We saw it yesterday with the purse snatcher, all purse snatching were attributed to him, now today all prank 119 emergency calls are attributed to this guy. Without any proof a dispatcher would blindly send all these people to a crime scene in Japan. Stupid dispatcher. 40 cops, 18 cars, weren't doing anything anyway. Free entertainment. Let the copycat begin.
bokudayo at 10:34 AM JST - 20th August

“I like police, and wanted to see a lot of patrol cars arriving at once as if they were investigating a crime.”

LOL

I like bikini models and want to see a lot of them arrive at my house as if they were attending a 乱交.
ADK99 at 11:11 AM JST - 20th August

It doesn't say that he made 119 calls, it says several a month. And it doesn't say that the young lad made them, just that the police are - quite reasonably - investigating.
And of course the dispatcher should send police to the scene of a reported crime.
gogogo at 11:23 AM JST - 20th August

What a moron!

He can't be arrested he is a minor, why does the title read arrested? Perhaps the translation should be "detained".
bushlover at 11:29 AM JST - 20th August

Charge him with mischief and a heavy fine for wasting taxpayers money.
bobbafett at 11:32 AM JST - 20th August

don't they have the story of the little boy who cried wolf in japan?
tamesu at 01:22 PM JST - 20th August

"First, how the hell are you going to call him a “man” and then in the next paragraph add “who cannot be named because he is a minor”? Also, to put it as politically as I can; this kid’s a RETARD! Get him help before he hurts somebody!!!"

ditto
shayouzoku at 01:51 PM JST - 20th August

I think the real question is, why do you need to send 40 officers to take down one guy with a knife? One or two patrol cars would have been fine!
spudman at 09:32 PM JST - 20th August

don't they have the story of the little boy who cried wolf in japan?

yep it's called 狼少年 [おおかみしょうねん] okami shonen
hmshore at 11:25 PM JST - 20th August

Fryingmonkey....can't believe you actually called someone a "retard." That is just so wrong. When you use the word retard you demean people with special needs. They get what you are saying and the understand when you are mocking them. You have so many alternatives, using the word retard is a slur and shouldn't be one of them.
getsy at 09:39 AM JST - 21st August

Glad he likes police.. he looks like he will be with them all his life.... Yeah I like naked girls but doesnt mean I run into a girls changing room.... DH