Police said the needle that pricked a toddler in downtown Victoria on Jan. 8 was being used for a medical purpose.
Victoria police say the needle that pricked a toddler at McDonald’s on Pandora Avenue was being used for a medical purpose and was not placed in the restaurant with any malicious intent.
On Jan. 7, a family was at the McDonald’s when a three-year-old child was pricked by a needle from a syringe. The child was taken to the hospital for testing.
Victoria police said officers spoke with the individual who used the needle as well as witnesses. They also reviewed surveillance footage.
Police said they then determined the needle was for a medical purpose and was not a malicious act. According to police, the person who imporoperly discarded the needle co-operated with the investigation.
“While officers are relieved that this has been determined to not be malicious, it is still troubling when people do not dispose of their needles properly, regardless of their purpose,” Victoria police said in a statement.
“This incident should serve as a reminder to dispose of needles in an appropriate receptacle. Not doing so can result in dangerous consequences as was the case in this incident.”
The toddler was the third person who was pricked by a needle in January. On Jan. 9, police said a woman was pricked by a needle while walking her dog in the 700-block of Pembroke Street. Police said the woman was pricked by an uncapped needle in a paper bag after she had moved the bag away from the dog. The bag had been next to a garbage can.
A hair salon employee who works on Johnson Street also told police she was pricked by a needle that was in a planter outside Scruples Salon on Johnson Street. On Monday, she found another needle ina different planter and phoned police. She was not pricked by that needle.
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