Brooklyn designer Takeshi Miyakawa, 50, was arrested on Saturday after police accused the man of planting fake bombs throughout New York City.
Miyakawa was attempting to place illuminated “I Heart NY” shopping bags around the city in preparation for NY Design Week when police were called to the scene of a suspicious package hanging from a tree. That handbag led to the evacuation of the area as the New York City bomb squad carefully examined the package for nearly two hours.
The day after the NY bomb squad was called to action police caught Miyakawa as he attempted to hang a new LED-lit bag, this time from a city lamppost.
A friend of the design tells the New York Times :
“He wanted to promote a positive message. He wasn’t trying to scare anyone.” ”
Unfortunately his illuminated hand bags had the opposite effect, scaring residents who reported a device inside a bag “consisting of a plastic box containing wires which was connected by a wire to a plastic bag containing a battery suspended from a metal rod.”
After being arraigned on Sunday Miyakawa was ordered to undergo one month of mental evaluation. The designers lawyers are attempting to get him released for what they call a miscalculated plan and a huge misunderstanding.
In what might be the biggest slap in the face to the designer he won’t be able to attend NY Designer Week as he undergoes his mental evaluation period.
Do you think an arrest and arraignment was warranted in this situation?
