Casey Garlick Robbed Pet Store Using Syringe, Bomb Threat To Rob Pet Store: Cops

A Florida man robbed a pet store last month after allegedly threatening a clerk with both an HIV-infected syringe and a bomb, Orlando Sentinel reported.

Casey Garlick, 27, was arrested Tuesday at his apartment for his Jan. 13 holdup of a Casselberry Pet Supermarket, police said in a report.

Garlick had fled the scene with several hundred dollars after handing a cashier a note saying, "Stay calm. I have an HIV-positive needle in my hand. If you call police I will stab you with it," according to WFTV. The note also implied that Garlick had planted a bomb outside the pet store.

In Tuesday's arrest, police found a syringe in his possession but no bomb. Garlick was charged with grand theft, threatening to discharge a dangerous device, and robbery with a weapon.

Casselberry Police are not sure if Garlick is HIV-positive, or whether the syringe actually had contaminated blood in it. Garlick was released Wednesday morning after posting a $4,200 bond.

This is not the first time the threat of HIV has been used in a robbery.

Last May, a Maryland man threatened to stab a CVS employee in the chest with an AIDS-contaminated needle, allegedly escaping with $27,000 in prescription medications.

In July 2011, a Colorado cupcake shop's owner described a syringe as "more frightening than a gun" after the store experienced a similar bodily fluid threat.

H/T Sun Sentinel