Local News in Brief : Another Juice Tampering

An orange juice carton that had been tampered with was found on a west San Fernando Valley supermarket shelf for the third time in as many days.

In the cases this week, 64-ounce cartons of orange juice were found with notes indicating that their contents may have been contaminated. The notes were attached to the cartons with needles from hypodermic syringes, Los Angeles police said.

The juice in all three cartons is being tested by police for possible contamination, but results were incomplete Wednesday. There have been no reports of anyone being poisoned by drinking from contaminated juice, police said.

The latest tampering incident was reported to police Wednesday after a carton of Citrus Hill orange juice was found on a Hughes Market shelf in Canoga Park.

The two other cartons, both of Minute Maid orange juice, were found Tuesday at an Alpha Beta store in Woodland Hills and Monday at a Vons in Woodland Hills.

“The notes are similar. We suspect it is the same person,” said Lt. Lee Lorenze. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any clues (as) to who that is.”

A spokesman for Alpha Beta said the note found in that store said, “Unsafe Packaging.”

Police said that, because different stores and brands of orange juice were tampered with, they have not been able to pinpoint a motive for the tampering.