Masked thieves steal $15,000 worth of Pokémon cards in a 40-second raid in California

A recent Pokémon card heist in Brentwood, California, played out almost exactly like a scene from the Pokémon anime. However, this time the bad guys weren’t Team Rocket, but masked individuals wearing ski masks. The Pokémon card robbery started and ended in a lightning-fast 40 seconds at a brand-new trading card shop in the Bay Area called The Card Lab, and the criminals made off with over $15,000 worth of valuable Pokémon cards.

As reported by ABC7 News, surveillance video of the entire heist was captured by a Ring camera as the trio of criminals rushed in right after closing time on Saturday night, June 8. The burglars vaulted over the display cases and zeroed in on the most valuable booster box sets available in the collection. The trio then stuffed the Pokémon card boxes into duffel bags and sped off in a Nissan Altima. The whole heist took just under 40 seconds.

The owner of The Card Lab, Ronnie Hackett, spoke to reporters, including NBC Bay Area, and said he was relieved that the store's manager was upstairs and safe, finishing end-of-day tasks when everything happened.

He further spoke about the incident and expressed his anguish, stating, “At the end of the day, I want these guys to be found. Granted, we may or may not get our stuff back, but there have got to be consequences for doing what they’re doing. I would really hate for them to continue doing this, so bringing awareness is important to me.”

Hackett continued to explain what the thieves actually stole from The Card Lab. The trio snagged high-end booster boxes, including a Roaring Skies set estimated at around $5,000, two Sun and Moon–era boxes valued between $1,500 and $2,000 each, plus several UPCs and ETBs.

Given the targeted nature of the heist, it’s evident that the thieves knew what was in the store, exactly what they were after, and had done their homework.

The unfortunate part of this situation is that The Card Lab had only opened about two months before the robbery. Hackett said he was pleased that the store had become a popular spot among kids and teenagers. Now, The Card Lab is temporarily closed as the team adds extra security measures. Meanwhile, police are treating the robbery as a high-profile grand theft case while the suspects remain at large.

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