Why wait in line at Target for hours for Pokémon cards when revving a chainsaw would work? This appears to be the conclusion reached by a 33-year-old West Palm Beach man, Clayton Warren, who allegedly broke into a store with a portable power saw to steal valuable cards.
As reported by KSL, security footage revealed that Warren first attempted to break the window of a card shop called Collection Realm with a rock. This attempt was followed by Warren using a chainsaw, which was allegedly used to break into the store. Blood was found at the scene of the crime, according to a police report by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. A man fitting Warren’s description visited the store on May 19, a few days before the apparent theft.
Like most card shops, Collection Realm held a variety of expensive cards behind a glass display by the cash register. Pictures of the shop also show that the store sold a number of coveted Pokémon boxes that are in such demand that they often sell for three or more times the original retail value.
Collection Realm’s owner estimates that around $12,000 in sleeved and bulk cards were pilfered by Warren. After the shop owner alerted the authorities, investigators tracked a license plate to a home in West Palm Beach. Warren was found there, and has since been charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure and grand theft between $10,000 and $20,000.
Pokémon card theft of this kind has been on the rise, both in the United States and Europe. Indeed, a few days after Warren’s arrest, another man was caught on tape smashing the entrance to a card shop in Arizona with a sledgehammer. In two minutes, the man reportedly stole about $7,000 worth of cards.
In response to the wave of thefts, some card shop owners are implementing more security measures, such as specialized lock systems. Some shop owners take their most valuable cards home to mitigate theft; others refrain from buying cards from the public — all to avoid theft and violence related to Pokémon cards.
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