Manhattan's latest armed robbery target wasn't a jewelry store or bodega—it was a Pokemon shop. Police say three people stormed the Poke Court on 13th Street just before 7pm on Wednesday, dressed in black and armed with what appeared to be handguns. Security footage shows one suspect smashing open display cases with a hammer while one points a gun at customers who were there for a community event, some of whom raise their hands, per NBC News. No injuries were reported.
"I'm admittedly not OK, but I'm safe," one person, who says they were in the store when the robbery went down, wrote on social media, per PIX11. "Very shaken up for sure." The NYPD hasn't released a loss estimate, but store owner Courtney Chin tells NBC New York that about $100,000 in merchandise was taken during the three-minute ambush. Police say the robbers made off with cash, merch, and the cellphone of a woman working there, then fled. No arrests had been made as of Thursday. WABC notes that other card and collectibles stores in the area have since boosted their security in the wake of this robbery.
The heist comes amid a string of high-value Pokemon-related thefts in California, per NBC. Last month, burglars hit LA Sports Cards in Burbank and took roughly $100,000 in merchandise, including Pokemon cards, according to local police; four suspects were later arrested. Earlier this month, in West Los Angeles, robbers targeted a customer leaving a card shop and allegedly walked off with his Pokemon collection, valued at around $300,000, NBC Los Angeles reported. Anyone with information on the NYC robbery is asked to call 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).
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