OKINAWA CITY — An 18-year-old Marine arrested May 26 for carrying an illegal knife also now faces a charge he injured an Okinawa cab driver during a robbery attempt the same night.
The suspect admitted to attacking the cabbie when questioned about the incident Wednesday, an Okinawa police spokesman said. Police will recommend to prosecutors that the Marine be charged.
The man, whose name was not released because he is considered a minor under Japanese law, used the knife when he attacked the taxi driver in the Uechi entertainment District of Okinawa City, the spokesman said.
According to the police report, the Camp Foster Marine hailed a taxi in the bar district at about 8 p.m. Once inside, he grabbed the driver from behind, held a knife to his throat and demanded money, the report said.
The 57-year-old driver broke free from his assailant and fled the cab, police said. When he returned, he discovered no money had been taken.
The original charge of attempted robbery was changed to “robbery resulting in an injury” after the driver later reported to police that he had received minor cuts on his left hand during the incident, police said.
Police said they questioned the Marine almost two hours after the attack in the bar district because he resembled the cabbie’s description of the assailant.
The Marine was arrested when police found a 4-inch folding knife in his possession, police said. Japanese law prohibits carrying knives with blades longer than about 2.3 inches.
