Man stabs, slashes staff at Tokyo convenience store Kyodo News

TOKYO - A 23-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after stabbing and slashing two employees at a convenience store in Tokyo before fleeing on a bicycle, police said. The arrest of Koki Higashitani on suspicion of attempted murder of one of the workers came after he surrendered himself later that day. The victims sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries, investigative sources said. Hours after the attack in Tokyo's Adachi Ward, where he lives, Higashitani turned himself in at a police box 4 kilometers from the scene, claiming responsibility. He was quoted by police as saying, "I just wanted to stab anyone." In the incident, around 2:30 a.m., a female cashier in her 40s was stabbed in the back, while a male employee in his 60s suffered a severe arm slash, the sources said. The assailant did not ask for money and left the store emptyhanded, the police added. Another female employee called the police, saying that a man had entered the store and suddenly began attacking the employees, according to the police. A man in his 80s, who often shops at the store, said, "I was shocked to see police cars this morning when I dropped by to grab breakfast. It's scary something like this happened in my neighborhood." ==Kyodo