Woman jabbed with needle while running errands in downtown Toronto
Junlan Li was running errands in downtown Toronto Sunday when she says a passerby bumped into her and jabbed a needle in her back.
The incident, described in a now-viral Reddit post uploaded by Li, happened in the area of Yonge and College streets just after 3:15 p.m.
“I was just going to the grocery store, thinking about all the things I needed to buy, and then someone bumped me from behind, in a specific spot in my back, and I thought, ‘That was kind of weird,’” Li told CTV News Toronto Monday.
Then, Li says a witness stopped her and told her they saw something more concerning and that the person who bumped into her had actually “poked” her on purpose.
“He asked me to check and see if I lost anything, if the [person] tried to pickpocket me or anything,” Li said.
After not immediately seeing anything of concern, Li thanked the Good Samaritan for stopping her, and went on her “merry way.”
But halfway down the next block, she says her back started to feel like it was burning.
“I reached up and touched my back, roughly where I was hit, [and] there was just a tiny puncture mark,” Li said.
At that moment, Li says she turned around, searched the nearest emergency department in the area, and walked straight there.
She says spent five hours at the hospital and that doctors treated the wound as a suspected needlestick.
She also says she has an appointment scheduled with an infectious disease specialist Tuesday.
On Reddit, she said the doctors ordered blood tests, and told her she has 72 hours to get post-exposure prophylaxis, or “PEP,” if an infectious disease clinic believes she needs it.
PEP, or post-exposure prophylaxis, is a type of medicine to prevent HIV, and treatment has to be started within 72 hours after a possible and recent exposure.
TPS INVESTIGATING
Li first called Toronto police’s non-emergency line while she was waiting at the hospital, and said it took about two hours to make a statement.
When reached for comment, the Toronto Police Service (TPS) confirmed with CTV News Toronto it is currently reviewing surveillance footage to find the suspect.
A spokesperson for the TPS could not provide any updates to CTV News Toronto, citing the ongoing investigation.
“This is not a common incident,” Const. Cindy Chung said. “If this does happen to someone, I would recommend that they report the incident to police and follow up with the hospital and complete any testing recommended to ensure their health and safety.”
Meanwhile, Li says she still feels a bit sore following the incident, and is grateful to the Good Samaritan who stopped her on the street.
“I usually have a bit of back pain, so I had not really clued into it.”
Without him, she says, “I might not have realized that there was something wrong.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
BREAKING Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
'Violation': CSIS had officer investigated after she reported a superior raped her
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.