July 5 (UPI) — A 21-year-old U.S. Marine accused of punching a taxi driver in Tokyo faces an attempted murder charge for choking a woman at a fast-food restaurant, officials said.
Police said Kahsai Tyree Hill choked the 19-year-old woman from behind in May. The woman, a Self-Defense Force officer, lost consciousness and fractured her cheekbone when she hit the floor.
Officials said a drunken Hill assaulted a total of five people that night in the Shinjuku and Shibuya districts.
Hill denied there was a murderous intent. Authorities said he assaulted the taxi driver after refusing to pay the fare. He was rearrested Thursday and prosecutors will recommend the added charge Saturday.
Hill was stationed at Camp Fuji Marine Corps base in the Shizouka Prefecture. He’s due in court July 30.
