A 37-year-old off-duty police officer shot himself after allegedly grabbing a firearm from a fellow officer who was attempting to subdue him in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture.
The man was found unconscious and rushed to hospital following the incident at a waste disposal plant in Koshigaya shortly after 10am on Wednesday, police said.
The incident began at around 8.45am when the man made an emergency call claiming that his son had been kidnapped while on his way to school.
He also requested police assistance at the premises of the waste disposal plant, prompting officers to respond to the location.
However, police later discovered that his kidnapping report was unfounded.
While officers were handling the situation at the scene, the man allegedly became violent and seized a firearm from one of them.
He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of obstructing official duties, but shot himself during the confrontation.
Police confirmed that none of the four officers involved, all from the same prefectural police force, were injured.
The man’s condition following his admission to hospital was not immediately disclosed.
