Car Thieves Drink HIV-Infected Blood

R I O  D E   J A N E I R O, Jan. 3 -- Two members of a gang of Brazilian car thieves may have drank vials of HIV-infected blood — thinking it was a yogurt drink—found in a stolencar, officials said today.

Over the New Year’s weekend, six armed bandits overpowereda worker at a medical laboratory in the remote western state ofRondonia, and stole his car while he was on the way to theairport to ship blood samples to a distant laboratory, aspokesman for Rondonia’s security secretariat told Reuters.

“The blood samples came from AIDS patients and were beingshipped for further tests,” the spokesman said.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.

Drunk and Confused

The thieves sped out of town, but made a brief stop at a bar on their way. After a few stiff drinks, two members of the gang uncovered the vials and gulped them down, mistaking themfor drinkable yogurt, the spokesman added.

The two suspects apparently exposed themselves to thedeadly, incurable disease.

“I don’t know how it happened, but the culprits toldreporters here that they were drunk and confused and didn’tknow what they were doing,” the spokesman said. The spokesmannoted that the suspects had not told police about drinking theblood.

Police caught four of the alleged robbers some 50 miles down the road after the car broke down.