August 19, 2009

Pennsylvania Carjacker Jailed After Wielding a Needle as an HIV Threat

A Pennsylvania carjacker will spend nine years and three months to 20 years in prison for threatening to transmit HIV with a hypodermic needle, The Morning Call reports. He was sentenced August 18.

According to the article, Orlando Ramos, an admitted heroin user whose HIV status has not been confirmed, attempted to steal boots from a Burlington Coat Factory last November. When an employee tried to stop him, Ramos brandished a needle and escaped. An off-duty Allentown police officer saw Ramos running from the store and knocked him to the ground. In retaliation, Ramos removed the needle from his pocket and said, “I have AIDS, and I’ll stab you.”

Another off-duty officer joined in the pursuit. Ramos ran into traffic and got into the back of an SUV, where he threatened to stab the driver with a needle unless he drove away. The driver escaped from the vehicle and fled the scene. Ramos then got into the driver’s seat and rammed the SUV into police vehicles and a civilian car. During the ensuing arrest, he tried to stab the officers with the needle.

“I’m grateful that nobody was injured,” Ramos said in court. “Drugs have had a grip on every aspect of my life.”

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TheStemCell, , 2009-09-02 18:42:03
A brilliant idea and timely