A 23-year-old Yokosuka sailor was in Japanese police custody Monday after he allegedly attacked a Japanese man Sunday evening on a street in Yokosuka city’s Wakamatsu district.
Seaman Recruit Richard T. Tuner Jr., assigned to the USS John S. McCain, is accused of hitting a 28-year-old Japanese man in the face a couple of times after the men bumped into each other while walking on the street, a Kanagawa prefectural police spokesman said Monday.
Police arrested Tuner around 10:30 p.m. after responding to a call from a man walking with the alleged victim, police said. Wakamatsu, home to the Yokosuka Chuo train station and several restaurants frequented by U.S. sailors, is near Yokosuka Naval Base.
The extent of the Japanese man’s injury was not immediately known, police said. Tuner and the man were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, the spokesman said.
Police will refer the case to the Yokohama District Public Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday, the spokesman said.
The Navy is aware of the media reports about the alleged assault, Commander U.S. Forces Japan spokesman Cmdr. David Waterman said Monday.
"We are currently working with Japanese police authorities to learn the facts of the case," Waterman said. "While this process is ongoing, it is inappropriate to speculate further at this time."
