Vancouver teenagers arrested after violent and valuable Pokémon card robbery
There has been a decent amount of crime related to Pokémon cards in Metro Vancouver over the last several months, and another incident led to three teenagers being arrested.
The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has shared some information about the alleged robbery, which involved high-value Pokémon cards.
VPD said that the incident occurred on Tuesday night, shortly after 8 p.m., in the area of East King Edward Avenue and Ontario Street. At that time, police were responding to a robbery in progress. VPD said that a man was bear-sprayed after attempting to sell two Pokémon cards that were valued at $7,000 each.
After the interaction, the suspects fled in a vehicle with the Pokémon cards and were intercepted by police officers in Burnaby, near Macpherson Avenue and Beresford Street.
“The suspects were arrested at the scene and released from jail today with conditions,” VPD said.
Police were able to recover just one of the Pokémon cards, which was returned to the victim. Police are also now recommending criminal charges against two 15-year-old boys and one 16-year-old boy.
“It’s a reminder that if you are planning on buying, selling, or trading items with someone you don’t know, use our Safe Exchange location,” said VPD Constable Darren Wong in a statement.
“It’s right outside the front door of our headquarters at 2120 Cambie Street, and can help ensure your safety during these transactions.”
Earlier this month, VPD reported a similar incident involving someone bearspraying card sellers. Police arrested one man in connection with the bear-spraying incidents.
And earlier this year, we reported a story about a break-in at a popular collectible retailer in Metro Vancouver that involved the theft of many valuable Pokémon cards. That incident took place at Everything J&J, and the brazen theft was caught on camera.