Robbers steal at least $110,000 in Pokémon cards from Lower Manhattan shop

Three men burst into the Poké Court, a Pokémon card shop on West 13th Street in Lower Manhattan, around 6:45 p.m. on Wednesday and stole at least $110,000 worth of Pokémon cards, the store owner said. As the men entered, one immediately pulled out a gun and pointed it at customers and workers, Courtney Chin, the owner, said.

Another closed a curtain at the front of the store and guarded the door to prevent people from leaving, she said. Security footage shows two of the men smashing a display case with a hammer and stuffing handfuls of Pokémon cards and packs into their backpacks. No one was hurt, store managers said.

The robbers focused on high-value items, Ms. Chin said, including a professionally authenticated, first-edition Charizard worth about $15,000. Peter Du, the store’s partnerships manager, said products in the display case were priced from $400 to $18,000. The men, dressed in black, also took an unknown amount of money from the cash register; the entire robbery unfolded in about three minutes, Ms.

Chin said. The theft happened during Poké Court’s first community event since it opened in November, when about 50 people were gathered for a free arts-and-crafts workshop; Ms.

Key Topics

Culture, Poké Court, Pokémon Cards, Charizard, Courtney Chin, Lower Manhattan