Pokemon card thieves tie up comic store owner and threaten to kill him

Police are hunting a couple of Pokemon card thieves who beat up a comic book store owner and threatened to kill him before leaving with merch.

This has been a ridiculous year for Pokemon card crimes, and they are showing no signs of stopping amid the popularity of collecting them – with some of the most valuable cards selling for thousands of dollars.

Sadly, with the hype and value of cards continuing to grow, thieves have gone to extreme measures to steal, including assaulting those in their path.

The latest victim is a comic book store owner in Lower Southampton, Pennsylvania who was threatened with a knife on September 18.

Robbers assault comic book store owner and steal Pokemon cards

According to a report by Patch, Lower Southampton Police were called to a comic book store on Sunday after two men entered the shop and asked the owner for help getting merchandise off a top shelf.

When the owner went up a ladder to retrieve the item, one of the men knocked him down to the ground and the two began beating him.

The store owner was then tied up with black zip ties and a knife was held to the man’s throat as the thieves threatened to kill him if he failed to cooperate.

Eventually, the two pulled out duffle bags and began loading them full of Pokemon cards, action figures, cash, books and other items belonging to the shop owner, such as his keys and laptop.

Once pursued by police into the woods, the two suspects left the duffle bags, but the duo have yet to be found.

One of the suspects was wearing a black hoodie, jeans and sneakers, but removed the hoodie during a police chase to reveal a Rolling Rock beer T-shirt.

The other suspect was wearing a Deadpool t-shirt, black pants and sneakers. The shirt ended up being recovered by the cops.

Evidence will be submitted to the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Lab for forensic analysis. Anyone with information is advised to contact Detective Dan DiLello.

This is just the latest in a wild Pokemon card crime wave. 2022 has seen cards stolen at gunpoint, suspects leading police on wild car chases, and even a heist involving a collection valued at $500,000.