BURST
This time, they caught ’em all.
Three teenagers were arrested by Vancouver Police on Tuesday after a man was robbed of two high-value Pokémon cards during a Facebook Marketplace transaction gone wrong.
Just before 8 p.m. Friday, the victim was bear-sprayed by three youths after showing up to a Marketplace transaction near King Edward Avenue and Ontario Street to sell two cards worth $7,000 each. Police were called after the assault, with the attackers fleeing the scene by car .
Three male suspects, two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old, were intercepted by VPD officers near Macpherson Avenue and Beresford Street in Burnaby, arrested and later released from jail with conditions. Charges are being recommended against the trio. One Pokémon card was recovered and returned to the victim.
“It’s a reminder that if you are planning on buying, selling, or trading items with someone you don’t know, use our Safe Exchange location,” said Constable Darren Wong. “It’s right outside the front door of our headquarters at 2120 Cambie St. and can help ensure your safety during these transactions.”
Facebook has proven a fruitful hunting ground for would-be Pokémon purloiners. Earlier this month, VPD arrested a man suspected in a string of robberies involving high-value Pokémon cards, after setting up an online sting to collar the suspect.
VPD said at the time they had five separate incidents reported to them since March 23 by victims who met a man, usually through Facebook Marketplace, to sell Pokémon cards. Police answered one ad, and arrested the man when he showed up to the deal.
The thefts go beyond the online sphere, as several Lower Mainland businesses have been broken into by thieves looking for the valuable trading cards.
Captured! Cards in Burnaby has been broken into three times, including a Jan. 12 incident where thieves smashed a window to take $10,000 in Pokémon.
New Westminster store Everything J&J was also hit in January by a four-person crew that smashed into the store and took around $20,000 in merchandise.
In Abbotsford, House of Cards saw an overnight heist where thieves used a car to tear security bars off the side of the shop, then stole $30,000 in Pokémon gear.