Police are searching for a man who witnesses claim has robbed an ice cream store by brandishing a hypodermic needle "full of AIDS", Huffington Post reported.
The suspect, wearing brightly colored clothing, barged into a Baskin-Robbins store in downtown Portland, Ore., on Tuesday night and demanded for money.
Katharine Pepin, 19, was getting ready to close the store when the unidentified suspect pulled out a hypodermic needle, claiming it was infected with "bloody substance," UK MailOnline reported.
"Some guy just walked in and said, 'This is a robbery. This is a needle full of AIDS,' and then 'Open the cash drawer,' and so I did," Pepin told KATU.
The syringe seemed to contain liquid in the form of blood, she said.
After receiving an undisclosed amount of money, the man took off on foot. No one has been reported to be hurt during the incident.
The suspect is described as a white man in his 20s, 5 feet 3 inches tall and skinny with short brown hair and glasses, Huffington Post reported.
This is the second time that the store has been raided in seven days, KGW reported.
A lot of armed robberies in the area involve suspects carrying intravenous drugs, like heroin, police told the station.
Pepin was able to contact police after running across the street since her phone had stopped working, Pepin told KATU.
Despite the traumatic experience, Pepin, who began working at the store as a second job last summer, went back to work less than 24 hours later, UK MailOnline reported.
"It definitely could have been worse. I feel pretty lucky," she added. "I just don't want to work alone again."
In May 2012, a man robbed a pharmacy in Maryland, threatening employees with a syringe that he claimed was filled with HIV-infected blood.
