Blood-filled syringe used in convenience-store holdups
By Johanna Kowal, Jen Ross
Police arrested a man late Saturday night after a string of robberies by a man armed with a syringe that appeared to be filled with blood.
The arrest was made after a man with a syringe and a knife robbed the Subway store near 113th Street and 104th Avenue around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, police said.
Three other businesses were robbed, one twice, on Friday and Saturday by a man who threatened cashiers with a syringe if they didn't give him money.
A man entered the Riverview Mohawk Friday just before 11 p.m., demanded money, walked around the counter and threatened to inject the cashier. He left on foot with an undisclosed amount of money.
He hit the same store late Saturday morning after earlier robbing the Mac's store on Jasper Avenue and the 7-Eleven store at 106th Avenue and 109th Street.
None of the cashiers was hurt.
A cab driver who asked not to be identified said he picked up two men near the downtown Greyhound bus station and was asked to take them to an apartment at 101st Avenue and 113th Street.
They stopped to buy cigarettes at a store at 93rd Street and Jasper Avenue. One man got out of the car to enter the store while the other man looked to be asleep in the back seat, the driver said.
"A few minutes later, the man came back to the car with cigarettes and some money ... I took them to the apartments. They paid their fare and got out of the cab."
"This isn't the first time we've seen these types of robberies in the city. I can recall at least three or four other instances," Det. Chris Hayden said.
"The trauma of the victim being approached by someone with a syringe that appears to have blood in it ... It's just as dangerous, especially with today's health hazards."
No charges were laid by press time.