The Saitama District Court has sentenced a 69-year-old man to 21 years in prison for attempting to kill and rob a taxi driver last year.

According to the court ruling, Yoshiichi Segawa got into the taxi in Kawaguchi City on the night of May 21, 2024, TV Asahi reported. When the taxi arrived at its destination at around 11:40 p.m., Segawa pulled out a gun and demanded money from the 72-year-old driver. When the driver refused, Segawa shot him in the abdomen and fled.

The driver went into cardiac arrest but survived the shooting. Segawa was put on a nationwide wanted list and arrested on May 31.

While on the loose, Segawa was found to have gone to the house of a female acquaintance in Fukushima, according to security camera footage and other sources. He boarded a bullet train at JR Fukushima Station around noon on May 31 and was apprehended by police as he disembarked at Omiya Station.

During the trial, the prosecution stated that Segawa had debts of over 6 million yen and was behind on his rent and mobile phone bill payments.

In handing down the sentence, the presiding judge said “It was a crime in which the defendant did not hesitate to take another person's life. His intention to rob the taxi driver is clear from the victim's testimony and the footage from the dashcam inside the taxi."