Fuji TV's "The Moment of Arrest! Police 24 Hours" followed a series of thefts in Mie Prefecture, involving over 70 victims. A man in his 40s, who robbed gas stations in stolen cars, destroyed the payment machines with a crowbar, and then attempted to destroy the evidence by burning the cars, was pursued by the Mie Prefectural Police using helicopters and ground forces. The tense arrest drama unfolded as they cornered him with an air and ground cordon.

A series of inexplicable arson attacks on stolen cars occurred in Mie Prefecture. All the cars, burned in secluded locations such as under overpasses and riverbanks, were stolen vehicles. Why did the culprit steal the cars and then deliberately burn them?

This mystery connects to a series of thefts targeting self-service gas stations in the early morning. A white car appeared at a deserted station just before 5 AM. The man, armed with a crowbar, got out and repeatedly stabbed the payment machine, forcibly destroying it. He then stole the banknote box and fled.

Thirty minutes later, the same man attacked another gas station. He attacked an employee who tried to intervene with a crowbar, fracturing his bones before fleeing. The crimes continued multiple times throughout the night, and the methods became increasingly violent.
Eventually, the white car used in the crimes was found under an overpass. However, the interior was severely burned and covered in soot. The car was a stolen vehicle, stolen on the day of the crimes. In other words, the perpetrators committed crimes using stolen cars, and finally burned them to destroy the evidence.
Car break-ins, gas station attacks, arson of stolen cars… The number of incidents expanded to over 70. The Mie Prefectural Police Mobile Investigation Unit is conducting "ambush operations" to capture the perpetrators.
Analysis of security camera footage and investigations into similar past cases led to the identification of a man in his 40s with multiple arrests for theft. Furthermore, the white minivan used by the man was also identified. Upon spotting the car on the national highway, investigators launched a pursuit using an air force helicopter and ground troops.

The suspect was a dangerous criminal who might even crash his car into a police car to escape. Forcibly stopping him would endanger the surrounding area. The helicopter monitored from above, while the ground troops maintained distance and tightened the cordon.

Eventually, the man parked his car in a parking lot and went into a coffee shop. The investigators waited for him to leave. After 20 minutes of stakeout, the man appeared, and investigators who had been lying in wait surrounded him. Contrary to his previous violent crimes, the man remained silent as the arrest warrant was presented to him.

A serial thief who attacked with stolen cars and burned them to destroy evidence, terrorizing Mie Prefecture, was cornered in a tense arrest drama involving an air and ground cordon.

[Narration]
Shoichiro Mori