U.S. military policeman convicted over Okinawa taxi holdup conspiracy

Monday 23rd June, 11:56 AM JST

NAHA —

The Naha District Court sentenced a U.S. military policeman Monday to three years in prison, suspended for five years, for conspiring with four minors to assault a taxi driver in the city of Okinawa and steal 6,000 yen in March. Senior Airman Darius Brunson, 22, assigned to the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, admitted to the charges at the first hearing of his trial on June 2.

His defense counsel had asked for leniency, saying he has repented of his act. According to the indictment, Brunson, in conspiracy with four American teenagers, attacked the taxi driver in the city of Okinawa at around 12:20 a.m. on March 16, hitting him in the head several times, and made away with a coin box containing around 6,000 yen.

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7 Comments

8iamhappy8 at 12:07 PM JST - 23rd June

Wow, all this trouble for a mere $60! LMAO.
thepro at 12:51 PM JST - 23rd June

Suspended sentence. Got off pretty light I reckon.
timorborder at 12:58 PM JST - 23rd June

So what is this guy's future like in the military? Is there any chance for promotion?
rjd_jr at 12:58 PM JST - 23rd June

This guy's sentence was suspended, and the original five year sentence wasn't "only" for 6000 Yen. It was for not only conspiring to, but actually engaging in the assault of this taxi driver. This point was already made before on a previous thread on this very same subject, but attacking any person, and striking them in the head, is no joke. That the driver was not seriously injured is quite fortunate. Also, as mentioned before, this wasn't a case of a "heat of the moment argument" thing, or even a drunken person attacking a taxi driver. These were petty thugs who deliberately conspired to hurt another innocent human being and take his property. How sad that anyone would even think of defending these thugs or making it an issue of bias against the U.S. military or other non issues.

Any just person would see that these thugs got off lightly, and no thugs regardless of nationality or occupation deserves any sympathy or defense.
Obakemono at 01:17 PM JST - 23rd June

This Air Force Security Policeman should have been sent to prison because he knows the high standards that are required to work in the military law enforcement. I hope that the Air Force will now remove him from their ranks and give him his just reward of a BCD and send him to Ft. Leavenworth for a period of time that will match the suspended sentence he was given by the Japanese court. Maybe he will have a chance to meet up with the other GI's who have robbed Okinawan Taxi drivers.
japanyesterday at 01:37 PM JST - 23rd June

this guy's sentence was suspended, and the original five year sentence wasn't "only" for 6000 Yen. It was for not only conspiring to, but actually engaging in the assault of this taxi driver. This point was already made before on a previous thread on this very same subject, but attacking any person, and striking them in the head, is no joke. That the driver was not seriously injured is quite fortunate. Also, as mentioned before, this wasn't a case of a "heat of the moment argument" thing, or even a drunken person attacking a taxi driver. These were petty thugs who deliberately conspired to hurt another innocent human being and take his property. How sad that anyone would even think of defending these thugs or making it an issue of bias against the U.S. military or other non issues. Any just person would see that these thugs got off lightly, and no thugs regardless of nationality or occupation deserves any sympathy or defense.

the 6000yen surely doesnt matter but what matters is what happened, the guy got hit in the head but im sure if these killers wanted to smash open the cabbie's head, they could have done it.
VoXman at 05:32 AM JST - 24th June

Proof is in the pudding.............change the screening process