Thieves steal $15,000 in Pokémon cards from Brentwood shop

BRENTWOOD, Calif. - A trading card shop in Contra Costa County is the latest business to fall victim to a nationwide trend of thieves targeting high-value Pokémon collectibles.

The incident occurred Saturday evening around 7 p.m. at The Card Lab in Brentwood. Surveillance video captured three masked thieves rushing into the shop just before closing time. The suspects knew exactly what merchandise they wanted and executed the theft in less than a minute.

Owner Ronnie Hackett was not at the business during the robbery, but he stated his manager was present and nearly encountered the suspects as she walked down the stairs.

"So she runs back and they went to go steal a couple of our higher ticket items," said Hackett.    

The thieves made off with an estimated $15,000 worth of collectibles. Following the theft, the suspects fled the scene in a black Nissan Altima. Hackett expressed relief that none of his employees were injured during the encounter.

Part of a growing global trend

According to the business owner, the theft reflects a larger, ongoing issue impacting collectible shops both across the country and overseas.

"It’s nationwide for sure," said Hackett. "Also I just saw someone else on YouTube that kind of does the same exact space, opened up their own store, theirs got hit all the way in the United Kingdom."   

Similar high-value Pokémon card thefts have been reported recently. Just last week, masked thieves broke into a trading card store in New Jersey, stealing between $30,000 and $50,000 worth of merchandise.

The issue is also hitting close to home in Contra Costa County, where other nearby retailers have reported similar incidents.

"The Games of Brentwood, some other local stores have been getting broken into as well, so it’s really unfortunate," Hackett noted.

Store security upgrades 

In response to the robbery, Hackett is keeping The Card Lab temporarily closed to focus on upgrading the facility's security systems.    

"I’d rather my people just not be in the way, or be around if something like this were to happen again," said Hackett.

By sharing the store's surveillance footage publicly, Hackett hopes the community can help authorities identify the suspects involved. 

"I just want to be positive and hope that me doing stuff like this, and bringing it to the awareness of the people, they can see their faces, and we can get these guys caught," said Hackett.

Anyone with information regarding the theft or the suspects is urged to contact the Brentwood Police Department.