User talk:Syringe Man

Jonathan "Syringe Man" Black
A man who allegedly used a blood-filled syringe to commit robberies was arrested after he returned to the same store near Union Square that he hit three days before, police said Monday.

Jonathan Black, 24, a transient, was caught last week when security guards at Banana Republic recognized him from Nov. 13, when he allegedly shoplifted from the store at 256 Grant Ave., police said.

Police said Black had begun using the syringe to threaten victims on Nov. 12, when he went into Fortress Telecom, at 878 Sacramento St., and tried to take a laptop computer.

The next day, Black -- this time dressed as a woman -- allegedly went into the Banana Republic store at 6:05 p.m. and shoplifted $204 worth of leather gloves. When two store security officers confronted Black outside the store, he pulled out an uncapped hypodermic needle in a stabbing motion and said he had HIV, said Lt. John Loftus.

On Nov. 16, Black returned to the clothing store, this time dressed as a man. He was spotted inside by the same security guard he had threatened before. He had the syringe with him, but he was arrested without incident, Loftus said.

After serving 8 years in prison, Black was released on good behavior.