Armed With a Syringe, Man Robs North Hollywood Store

In an incident similar to a string of “Syringe Bandit” holdups in the San Fernando Valley last year, a man armed with a hypodermic needle robbed a North Hollywood liquor store Friday morning and fled on foot, Los Angeles police said.

The robber walked into Oasis Liquor, 4800 Whitsett Ave., about 11 a.m. and threatened Dalgit Singh with a syringe filled with a clear fluid, Los Angeles Police Dept. Sgt. Thomas Danzek said.

Singh, the shop’s owner, was the only person in the store at the time, Danzek said.

“He said he was going to stick the needle in my neck if I didn’t give him money,” Singh said. “At first, I thought he was joking, but he was serious.”

After handing the robber a handful of bills, Singh began to chase him out of the store until the man threatened him with the needle again, Singh said.

The thief, who wore shorts and no shirt, did not say if the liquid in the syringe was harmful, Singh said.

“It could have been water, but I didn’t want to take any chances,” Singh said.

The man escaped with between $50 and $80, Singh said.

The robbery occurred 15 months after police captured Wesley G. Pledger, a Northridge man who threatened store clerks with a hypodermic needle that he claimed was filled with AIDS-tainted blood. In August 1992, Pledger, who was dubbed the “Syringe Bandit,” was sentenced to 16 years.