A wannabe shoplifter at a Dallas Walmart somehow thought it would be a good idea to threaten a store employee with HIV infection rather than get in trouble for trying to pilfer $11 worth of frozen food from the retailer.

Police say that when the employee confronted the 25-year-old shopper about her purloined goods, the woman said she is HIV-positive and told the worker, “I can infect whomever I please.”

The woman allegedly attacked the employee, who received some scratches on his face, but who is incredibly unlikely to have been infected during the confrontation.

However, because police believe that the shoplifter was deliberately attempting to draw blood and expose the employee to HIV, she was charged with attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Had the shopper merely fessed up to the attempted shoplifting and accepted a ban from the store, it’s possible the arrest may have been avoided, as Walmart rarely prosecutes small-time shoplifting offenses. However, the woman also had a pair of outstanding arrest warrants, so once police got involved she was likely heading to lock-up regardless of whether the store prosecuted her.

[via DallasNews.com]

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