Police are urging Pokémon card collectors to take extra precautions after a recent string of robberies targeting valuable cards like Pikachu, Charizard and Snorlax.
In one case, a customer leaving the RWT Collective store in West Los Angeles was reportedly robbed at gunpoint of a rare card collection valued at about $300,000, according to KTLA, NBC Los Angeles and Fox LA. The incident happened Sunday night, Jan. 4, as the customer entered an underground parking garage. Store owners said the two suspects had been inside the shop earlier that day.
“He was just leaving, just trying to go home,” RWT Collective co-owner Danny Leserman told KTLA.
Following the robbery, Leserman and co-owner Christopher Chou said they planned to strengthen the shop’s security, including upgrading their security systems and adding more cameras. They also said they were working with property management on having armed guards for the store and building.
A separate theft involving Pokémon cards was reported the same weekend in Simi Valley. Police told NBC Los Angeles that officers responded to a break-in at a shopping center around 3 a.m. Investigators said thieves used a chainsaw to break into a store, smashed display cases, and stole collectible cards worth at least $50,000, according to the outlet.
The LAPD told NBC Los Angeles it was looking into whether the two crimes could be connected. No arrests have been announced in either case, according to reports.
Leserman said the rising value of certain cards can make collectors and shops more appealing targets.
“Most of the time, they’re used, and they’re not in good enough quality to be considered collectible,” he told KTLA. “And so when they do rise to a level, that’s when the dollar amount can really get to be something pretty out there.”
Police have also shared safety tips for collectors to reduce the risk of being targeted, including using discreet packaging and avoiding showing off high-value cards in public, according to Fox LA. They also recommend completing expensive deals in well-lit, monitored locations and considering specialized insurance for higher-end collections.
