Elderly Japanese man who bit woman viewing cherry blossoms dies suddenly while being taken into police custody

According to The Financial News, an incident occurred in Japan in which a man in his 80s, arrested on suspicion of biting a woman who was out viewing cherry blossoms, died while being taken into police custody.
According to reports from TV Asahi and other local media on April 6, police received a call around 1:30 p.m. on April 5 from a park in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture, saying that "an elderly man is biting people." The park is well known among local residents as a popular spot for cherry blossoms.

The reports stated that an 89-year-old man, identified only as A, bit the right arm of a woman in her 40s, identified as B. Officers who arrived at the scene arrested A on the spot.
When police tried to take him into custody, A denied the allegation and sank down to the ground. Taking his advanced age into account, officers placed him on a stretcher and moved him to a patrol car, but once inside the vehicle his complexion suddenly worsened and he stopped responding to the officers calling out to him.
Police first lifted the arrest and then transported A to a hospital by ambulance, but he died about an hour and a half later.
The police stated, "We did not use any restraining force on the man at the time of arrest," adding, "We do not believe there were any mistakes in our response."
Investigators plan to conduct an autopsy to determine whether the man had any underlying medical conditions and to clarify the precise cause of death.

hsg@fnnews.com Han Seung-gon Reporter