Thieves steal US$1 million worth in Pokémon cards, other collectibles from LA shop
Hobby stores are being targeted for their valuable wares all over the United States.
Theft in hobbies and collectibles stores has become common these days, with Pokémon cards and signed items being some of the most sought after by robbers.
And on 20 March, one of the biggest thefts occurred, with loot worth US$1 million in Pokémon cards and other collectibles stolen from the hobby store Kaptain Fish Collectibles in Tujunga, Los Angeles.
“Our shop was burglarized early morning today,” the shop’s official Instagram account said. "Sad to see something like this becoming a reoccurring trend in our hobby.”
Security footage from Kaptain Fish Collectibles showed the moment when a white vehicle smashed through a window, with three suspects then proceeding to loot the store's entire stock of signed jerseys, basketballs, and Pokémon cards within seven minutes.
The three suspects later escaped with their haul of costly merchandise.
According to a report by CBS last Friday (24 March), this is the third business to be targeted in less than two months, with the previous two occurrences happening fifteen miles apart, although it's unknown whether the crimes are linked.
Fortunately, the surveillance video captured a good look at one of the individuals on the scene, and the owners are hoping that it will be enough to identify him.
Some who commented on Instagram said that they seem to recognise the culprit from a similar robbery in Burbank, California, but weren’t too sure.
The owners also listed and posted a partial list of the items stolen to seek help from their followers to check if they turn up in online shops and others.
Some of the items stolen include Prizm Basketball boxes, Pokémon Brilliant Stars collections, and more.
Instagram user @zacrazycollect commented that the robbers “definitely knew what they wanted” and probably “had been there before to know where everything is”, specifically with graded cards.
“Dude in the grey hoodie went straight to the cases behind the counter. Most [people] would smash and grab no?” IG user steeldeals.cards commented.
“I feel violated. I felt fear that something like this could happen,” co-owner Sevag Mazakian said. “They took loose boxes, comics, cards, a signed pair of Kobe Bryant sneakers.”
This isn’t the first time a Pokémon thief has broken into a store through unconventional means. Back in February of 2022, a man created a hole in a store’s wall from the unoccupied shop next door to steal US$250,000 worth of items.
And in July 2022, a half-million-dollar Pokémon card collection heist occurred in South Carolina from an avid collector.
Meanwhile, last September 2022, a thief was caught after he tried to resell the MTG and Pokemon cards he stole back to the same store he stole them from.
Anna is a freelance writer and photographer. She is a gamer who loves RPGs and platformers, and is a League of Legends geek. She's also a food enthusiast who loves a good cup of black coffee.
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