NAHA, Okinawa — Okinawa police Tuesday questioned the American owner of a vehicle believed to have been driven in a Saturday hit-and-run that injured three pedestrians in Naha, police said.
Okinawa police said they confiscated a Y-plated black sedan with a shattered windshield and a dented passenger-side fender. It was found parked near Camp Hansen’s main gate several hours after the incident, according to a spokesman for Okinawa prefectural police in Naha.
Some fragments at the accident site matched the sedan’s left fender, the spokesman said. "There is a high possibility that the car was involved in the accident," he said.
The Marine Corps is working closely with Japanese authorities, spokesman 1st Lt. Adrian Rankine-Galloway said in a news release Tuesday.
Marine officials have identified a "person of interest" who is being held by the Marine Corps and who has been made available to Okinawa police for questioning, the release said.
"As a matter of policy, we will not be releasing personal information about this individual at this time," Rankine-Galloway said.
A woman and two men were struck about 6 a.m. Saturday in the crosswalk on Highway 58 in downtown Naha, police said. According to witnesses, the car went through a red light, hit the pedestrians and left the scene, police said.
The 23-year-old woman sustained thigh and arm fractures, and a 22-year-old man sustained a broken cheekbone. A 23-year-old man also had minor injuries, police said.
Stars and Stripes reporters Cindy Fisher and Natasha Lee contributed to this report.
