SF police arrest 2 after meetup to sell Pokémon cards ends in robbery
San Francisco Pokémon theft takedown
San Francisco police have arrested two juveniles and are looking for a third after investigators say they robbed a victim of his Pokémon card collection.
San Francisco police have arrested two juveniles and are searching for a third suspect after investigators say a man was robbed of his Pokémon card collection during a planned sale.
Dramatic video shows officers taking the suspects into custody following the robbery investigation.
Victim pepper-sprayed during sale
What we know:
The investigation began on May 28 when the victim arranged to sell his Pokémon card collection to a prospective buyer.
According to police, the suspect pretended to complete an online payment before grabbing the cards and fleeing. Investigators say the suspect then pepper-sprayed the victim and ran to a waiting vehicle occupied by two additional suspects.
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"Once he had the collection of cards and he'd pepper-sprayed the victim, he ran to an awaiting vehicle that had two additional occupants inside the car," SFPD Officer Paulina Henderson said.
Technology helps lead investigators to suspects
Dig deeper:
Police said traditional investigative work, combined with assistance from the department's Real Time Investigation Center and license plate reader cameras, helped identify the suspects the following day.
Officers followed the suspect vehicle to a pawn shop near Polk and O'Farrell streets, where they arrested two juveniles on suspicion of robbery and conspiracy.
The next day, investigators served a search warrant at a home in Daly City.
Police said they recovered evidence connected to the robbery, but the stolen Pokémon cards have not been found.
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Similar case under investigation
Authorities are continuing to search for a third suspect.
Meanwhile, South San Francisco police are investigating a similar robbery involving an online marketplace transaction in which suspects allegedly stole a gold necklace.
Investigators are working to determine whether the two cases are connected.
"With all investigations, this is a good example of how we work with our local departments," Henderson said.
What you can do:
Police recommend meeting in a safe, public location when conducting sales with people you do not know.
"I would recommend that if you're going to do this type of online sale to an individual you're not familiar with, I would recommend going towards a police department, setting the arrangement up at a police department," Henderson said.