A 30-year-old housewife who hit and an 8-year-old boy while driving in platform sandals in the city of Kumagaya, Saitama Prefecture, was arrested Thursday, police said.
The arrest of Chikako Mamiya, who lives in Kumagaya, came after neighbors of the victim, Ryo Kanesaka, collected signatures calling for police to bring her in.
The outcry was triggered after the suspect failed to show up at a local police station for questioning and said she was unable to do so because she was injured in the accident. In addition, Mamiya never visited the boy's parents to apologize, the residents said.
According to police, Mamiya was driving recklessly Sept. 16 along a road for a distance of hundreds of meters before allegedly hitting the boy at a pedestrian crossing while the crossing light was green.
Two other women waiting at the crossing were slightly injured.
Mamiya suffered a slight forehead wound and was hospitalized for two weeks. Police opened an investigation into Mamiya about six months later.
After finding that Mamiya's driving license had not been revoked, the neighbors started a campaign for her arrest in which 4,000 signatures were collected.