Hypodermic needle found taped to door of Saanich business
almost 5 years in timescolonist
An uncapped hypodermic needle was found taped to the rear door of a Saanich business in recent days — the latest of several incidents in the past two months in which items appear to have been deliberately set to hurt people.
In some cases, uncapped needles have been found and in others, difficult to see semi-translucent fishing line has been strung up.
Video surveillance on Sept. 30 captured shots of a suspect using sticking a needle and a piece of gauze onto a piece of tape. The needle was found stuck to the back door of a business near Burnside Road West and Harriet Road, Saanich police said Thursday.
The door had earlier been taped closed because of concerns about COVID-19.
Staff found the needle on the door when they showed up for work the following day.
The woman in the video is described as white and in her 30s, five-foot-six with short dark brown hair and wearing a white hooded sweater, black jacket, black pants and black flip-flops.
Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes called the act “despicable and unfathomable.”
“I hope the individual is found and that they get the help they need.”
Hazardous discarded uncapped needles were found in several parks over the summer. A teenage boy was pricked in the back when he lay on the grass in Saanich’s Rutledge Park. A man was nicked while walking on a trail in Beacon Hill Park, and parks workers were also injured.
In some instances, it appears needles were deliberately placed to harm someone.
An uncapped syringe was found taped to a bench in Centennial Square in downtown Victoria, and another needle, containing a small amount of blood, was tied to a staircase hand rail in Beacon Hill Park.
Victoria police officers discovered fishing line strung across a staircase at Cecelia Ravine Park and at an entrance to the Galloping Goose trail. More fishing line was used to set another tripwire across a dock ramp near Regatta Landing in Vic West.
More recently, fishing line was mounted at neck height outside a multi-residential building in the 1200 block of Johnson Street. It went up overnight between Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. A resident spotted the line and cut it down.
Anyone with information about the most recent incident is asked to contact the Saanich Police Department at 250-475- 4321 or Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
cjwilson@timescolonist.com
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