U.S. military authorities are refusing to hand over four children of American servicemen sought for the attempted murder of a motorcyclist in western Tokyo, sources said.

According to police, the four, aged between 15 and 18, stretched a rope across a road, knocking a 23-year-old company employee from her motorcycle around 11:30 p.m. on Aug. 13. The woman suffered a fractured skull.

Japanese police are treating the case as attempted murder.

Police obtained an arrest warrant for the teens, whose parents serve at Yokota Air Base, on Nov. 24, but the U.S. military has refused to comply, the sources said.

The police were forced to obtain a new arrest warrant Tuesday because of the delay and are pressing the U.S. military authorities to cooperate.

The four were identified as suspects based on witness accounts and security camera footage.(IHT/Asahi: December 3,2009)

Dec. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Four teenagers, dependants of U.S. military personnel based in Japan, have been arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on charges of attempted murder, the Asahi Newspaper said today, citing the police. The four, ages 15 to 18, are accused of causing a near-fatal accident on Aug. 13 by stretching a rope across a road near the Yokosuka naval base and knocking a woman off her motorcycle. Japanese authorities issued warrants on Nov. 24 demanding the U.S. military transfer custody of the suspects.