On February 25, the police units (the Riot Police Unit of the Nagano PPH, with the support of TMPD, Kanagawa and Yamanashi PPH) began to prepare to assault the lodge. A crane equipped with a wrecking ball and an armored driver's compartment was positioned near the building and police armed themselves with ladders, heavy mallets, and chainsaws. Muta's husband implored the radicals by loudspeaker to release his wife, but was ignored. On February 27, the police used a baseball pitching machine to bombard the building with rocks to keep the hostage-takers awake all night.