Overview
- The theft occurred Saturday night, June 6, when three masked suspects rushed The Card Lab in Brentwood, smashed display cases and stuffed about $15,000 worth of Pokémon cards into bags in roughly 39 seconds.
- Surveillance footage played publicly shows the trio dressed in black and jumping over counters, and police say they fled in a vehicle that has been described differently in reports, so officers are checking license-plate readers and asking for public tips.
- Store owner Ronnie Hackett said the manager was upstairs and unharmed, the shop had opened about two months earlier, and it briefly closed to install stronger locks and cameras before planning to reopen.
- Reporters and law enforcement linked the burglary to a wave of fast, high-value break-ins at collectible-card shops nationwide that have included a recent $40,000–$50,000 heist in New Jersey.
- The rising resale value of rare Pokémon cards has made small specialty shops an attractive target, forcing owners to raise security and suggesting investigators and businesses should expect higher costs and more public appeals for help to recover stolen merchandise.