Toward the end of The Professional, Detective Stansfield is about to go after hitman Leon, and Stansfield tells his second in command "Get me everyone." When his second asks what he means, he screams "I... mean... EVERYONE." Something like that must have happened in Osaka, Japan, when the police department got a bead on a man wanted for assaulting police officers.
Twenty-seven-year-old Hirofumi Fukuda, driving a white Lexus sedan, was approached by a patrol car for running red lights. When he saw the police, he did what any self-respecting lawbreaker would do: he took off. That's the easy part. The double-take comes when it took 2,240 police officers, 460 police cars, and one helicopter two hours to catch the man. The city of Osaka is just 85.4 square miles -- about the size of Baltimore. Which is a lot of police in a little space looking for one single guy. And in fact, they didn't catch him: he crashed into a bridge support and sustained minor injuries. If he ever gets out of prison, he'll be a great guy to play Grand Theft Auto IV with.
Thanks for the tip, catgirlshyla!
[Source: Japan Today]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
zamafir @ Jan 25th 2008 6:36PM
Greates... Movie... Ever.
sheikhness @ Jan 25th 2008 6:43PM
not very long ago, the chief of police would have commited sepuku over much less than this kind of "losing face"
Seoultrain @ Jan 25th 2008 6:43PM
460 cars? Did they try to artificially create a traffic jam to catch him?
Russell @ Jan 25th 2008 6:49PM
He was lucky it was in Japan and not in the country where police officers shoot first and ask questions later.
DonatoM3 @ Jan 25th 2008 7:06PM
Hey a clip of ammunition costs less than all the manpower and fuel spent there.
catgirlshyla @ Jan 25th 2008 7:38PM
"driving a white Lexus sedan...."
It's actually a Toyota Celsior. The vidclip here proves it.
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=3647
You can clearly see the Toyota Bull Logo on the Front Grill and the Steering Wheel in two shots.
Joel @ Jan 25th 2008 7:55PM
The Lexus LS400 and LS430 were badge-engineered versions of the Toyota Celsior, since the Lexus brand didn't launch in Japan until a couple years ago.
catgirlshyla @ Jan 26th 2008 12:47AM
*facepalm*
Jus....Just don't say anything. Don't say anything. I don't know whats sadder to be honest.....
Tsunami Racer @ Jan 28th 2008 12:06PM
actually, according to the news footage, the dood got out of the all white Celsior/LS430 after ramming police cars and got into ANOTHER car, which appears to the be the two tone white/gray Toyota Crown which he ultimately crashed, pictured above. note the pillarless hardtop doors on the smashed up Crown.
SPF @ Jan 25th 2008 7:46PM
WTF?
Brent Worrell @ Jan 25th 2008 8:42PM
ya know i saw something like that at the end of NFS most wanted. Any relation?
JunkStory @ Jan 25th 2008 8:52PM
LOL
Japanese people are funny.
Monte @ Jan 25th 2008 8:52PM
Maybe the driver was on a mission from God?
Ted @ Jan 25th 2008 9:52PM
Musta been a slow crime day.
:D
elprogramer @ Jan 25th 2008 10:15PM
"And nothing of value was lost."
Harrison @ Jan 25th 2008 10:44PM
I don't think we Americans should be laughing.
Remember the OJ car chase?
:D
Seoultrain @ Jan 26th 2008 5:34AM
lol...
Any excuse for this Arrested Development quote:
Car Salesman: Yeah, the Bronco’s been discontinued. We’re trying to shed that whole fugitive on the run thing. This is the Escape.
dan @ Jan 27th 2008 4:55AM
@Seoultrain:
Oh, and watch out for hop-ons. You'll get some hop-ons.
Malhaar @ Jan 26th 2008 8:31AM
haha omg!!! poor Lexus :-(
mikomi @ Jan 26th 2008 12:38PM
Did anyone for one moment consider the possibility that the source is twisting the truth just a bit? Most of those forces were probably on stand-by awaiting orders, otherwise doing their equally stereotypical equivalent of North American officer's coffee and donuts stereotype.