Bloody Syringe Was Used in Other Robberies
A man who robbed a Northridge market while brandishing a syringe he claimed was filled with his own AIDS-infected blood is being sought in two other similar incidents, police said Tuesday.
The three crimes occurred near Reseda Boulevard and Nordhoff Street, next to Cal State Northridge, between 1:30 and 2 p.m. Monday, Detective Wayne Newton said.
In the first incident, the robber approached a man outside a bicycle shop, waved the syringe and demanded money. “The first victim turned and ran,” Newton said.
About a block away, the robber walked up to a second victim who had gotten out of his car while trying to park. “He held up the syringe and demanded money. When the victim backed away, he jumped in the car and drove away.”
The final incident occurred about 2 p.m. at a market in the 18000 block of Nordhoff Street, Newton said.
The man entered the store and took a soda from the freezer, Sgt. Bill Thomas said. He then approached the cashier, “removed a syringe full of blood from his pocket, and stated, ‘I have AIDS. I don’t want to hurt anybody,’ ” Thomas said. “He ended up taking money and the soda he was drinking.”
No arrests have been made.
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