Filmmaker Takeshi Kitano’s Car Attacked by Man with Pickax

A guy bearing a pickaxe and a knife attacked a car carrying famous Japanese film director and actor Takeshi Kitano.

According to media sources, Tokyo police have arrested a guy who reportedly assaulted a car carrying Japanese entertainment legend Takeshi Kitano with a pickax, however no one was harmed. The 74-year-old director and actor, also known by his stage as Beat Takeshi, was in the car with his driver and was just leaving the TBS television network’s complex after his monthly live chat show Saturday night.

The suspect allegedly damaged Kitano’s car with a pickax multiple times, demanding Takeshi come out, as per TBS. According to reports, a security officer phoned the cops, and the culprit was detained on the spot.

The suspect is a 40-year-old male who was also carrying a 10-centimeter (4-inch) knife. On Monday, Tokyo police declined to confirm the claims, but did announce that a suspect had been arrested on suspicion of illegally possessing guns. The suspect told police that he became enraged after being rejected when he kneeled down in front of Kitano’s automobile in June, pleading for aid to allow him to work in the entertainment business. The motivations of the suspect are now being investigated by police.

In the 1970s, Kitano was a member of the comic duo, the Two Beats. Kitano rose to prominence as one of Japan’s most popular television personalities in the 1980s. During the same decade, he appeared in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence and worked on Takeshi’s Challenge for the Famicom, which is widely regarded as one of the worst games ever made.

After Kinji Fukasaku was unable to direct the film, he made his directorial debut in 1989 with Violent Cop. He’s since established himself as one of Japan’s most internationally renowned filmmakers. He continues to appear in a variety of shows in Japan, ranging from comedy to news.