An Arizona man allegedly threatened to shoot victims with an HIV-filled tranquilizer gun while demanding money from them.
John Patrick Wilcox, 30, has been charged with multiple counts of theft by extortion for sending letters threatening to shoot victims with HIV while demanding money, KNXV reported.
On August 18, the first set of victims received a letter demanding $2,000 or else they or their family members would have HIV injected into them with a tranquilizer gun, according to court records.
Police say the letters included names and addresses of family members of the victims, as well as a picture of a tranquilizer gun with a dart “capable of containing and delivering a biological agent into a living target.”
Another set of letters was sent the next day to different victims, police say.
On September 21 and 26, the victims received another set of letters that instructed them to go to a specific location at a certain time to find a walkie-talkie. Wilcox instructed the victims over walkie-talkie to drop money in a bag with green glow sticks.
Police monitored the place and saw a drone circling the area. After circling the area a few times, the drone picked up the package and delivered it to a nearby car.
Police arrested Wilcox at gunpoint after a traffic stop.
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