A woman whose hand was pricked two days ago when she reached inside a pocket of pants at Walmart said Thursday the broken syringe appeared to be stained with a red liquid.
Liliana Hernandez told Channel 2 Action she's worried there may have been blood on the bent needle that pricked her at the Bartow County store. Hernandez is the latest victim in a string of incidents at the store involving shoppers finding syringes in clothing.
Walmart said it will pay for the medical expenses of those injured by syringes found in its clothing. But neither store employees nor police have determined who placed the needles in various items, including a boxed bra, pajamas and socks, officials said Thursday. Investigators believe the incidents are isolated to one store.
The syringes have been sent to the GBI crime lab for forensic testing, according to Sgt. Jonathan Rogers with the Bartow County Sheriff's Office. The state crime lab will expedite the testing, John Bankhead, GBI spokesman, told the AJC Thursday.
Hernandez said she has not yet been tested to see if she has contracted a disease from being stuck with a needle. She returned to the store Thursday, telling Channel 2 she hadn't heard from store officials since her hand was pricked.
Investigators believe the syringes have purposely been placed in clothing, Rogers said. Deputies are working with Walmart officials to review surveillance footage. The syringes all appear to be the same type, commonly used by those with diabetes, and could have been purchased from any pharmacy without a prescription, Rogers said.
Re-using a needle or syringe could put the victims in danger of contracting Hepatitis or possibly HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Another woman pricked by a needle at the store, Patricia Headrick, went to the Cartersville hospital immediately after the Black Friday incident. Headrick said she got a Tetanus shot and had blood drawn for testing, but will have to return in six months for re-testing. Headrick said she paid $1,300 for medicine to help her body fight disease.
Dianna Gee, Walmart spokesperson, said employees have gone through apparel at the Cartersville store, but did not find anything out of the ordinary. Extra staff members have been placed in the clothing department and a team is reviewing surveillance footage, Gee said.
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