GUSHIKAWA, Okinawa — A 19-year-old Marine was killed early Sunday while crossing a street in Gushikawa.
An Okinawa police spokesman said Lance Cpl. Antonio P. Rodriquez, assigned to Camp Hansen, was crossing Highway 75 at 3:55 a.m. in the Akamichi district of Gushikawa when he was struck by a car driven by a 33-year-old man from Ishikawa.
The driver, Tatsuya Yohen, hit Rodriquez and then swerved into the oncoming lane and struck a taxi, the police spokesman said.
Rodriquez was taken to nearby Chubu Hospital in critical condition with severe head injuries and in a state of cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead an hour later.
The taxi driver sustained bruises to his abdomen and two passengers in Yohen’s car were treated for neck sprains. Yohen had minor bruises, the police spokesman said.
Yohen was arrested at the scene on suspicion of inattentive driving while under the influence of alcohol and professional negligence resulting in a death, pending further investigation. He could face a charge of highway manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol, a felony that carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison at hard labor.
A Breathalyzer test detected 0.3 milligrams of alcohol from Yohen’s breath, the police spokesman said. The legal limit in Japan is 0.15 milligrams.
Police expected to present the case to the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Naha on Wednesday afternoon.
Rodriquez, of Pawtucket, R.I., was assigned to the Special Operations Training Group, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, according to Marine Corps Public Affairs. A memorial service is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the Camp Hansen East Chapel.
