A company employee bicycling home early Wednesday in Toride, Ibaraki Prefecture, was shot in the leg with an arrow apparently fired from a crossbow, and the Ibaraki Prefectural Police later arrested a man they suspect may have been involved in the attack.
The victim, a 47-year-old resident of Toride's Yoshida district, told the police that he felt a sudden pain at about 1:50 a.m. as he was pedaling along a pedestrian walkway with an umbrella in one hand, as it was raining. He also recalled seeing a car pass him after approaching from behind.
The metal arrow, which pierced the man's calf, was about 40 cm long and 8 mm thick. Police believe he was shot from behind, from the vehicle lane of the street.
The incident took place in a residential area about 1 km southeast of JR Toride Station.
The man continued bicycling with the arrow in his leg until he reached his home about 2 km from where he was shot. He called the police as he was heading to a nearby hospital in a car driven by his wife.
The police arrested an unemployed male Toride resident on Wednesday night, on suspicion of punching and severely injuring a male friend in late March, an allegation the suspect denies.
Police allege the 36-year-old suspect may also have had a role in the attack on the bicyclist after they found a crossbow and six metal arrows at his home. They also discovered the man owns a white car. They seized the weapon and the car.
The police cautioned that they had yet to determine if the suspect was behind the arrow attack.