Forest Lake card shop broken into: owner loses up to $50K in Pokémon collectibles
Another break-in at a Twin Cities card store
Punch Out Gaming was robbed early Saturday morning, losing thousands of dollars. FOX 9's Leon Purvis has more.
FOREST LAKE, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Forest Lake card and video game store is picking up the pieces after an early morning break-in left a boarded-up window and big questions about security.
Thieves break in and steal high-value Pokémon products
What we know:
Surveillance video shows two people smashing their way into Punch Out Gaming, taking down a Pikachu graphic before busting through the window. Once inside, they emptied display cases and grabbed high-value Pokémon products from the shelves. The break-in happened around 4 a.m. Saturday.
Owner Eric Johnson said, "It was a mess everywhere, and we already refilled most of the case. And then they went back here to this wall and just took a bunch of sealed product off this wall, more expensive Pokémon stuff."
Johnson estimates the loss at between $30,000 and $50,000, but said the real loss is in how much the stolen collectibles could have appreciated in value. He explained, "I'm sure some of the sealed product that we had stolen, you know, we paid 100 bucks for, and then now it's worth 500 or something. Well, our invoice says it's 100. That's what we're getting."
The store remains open, with a green cover hanging over the boarded-up window to signal business as usual. Johnson said it could take a week to replace the glass.
A pattern of break-ins at card and game shops
The backstory:
This is not the first time Punch Out Gaming has been targeted. Four years ago, thieves stole about a quarter-million dollars' worth of Pokémon cards from the store.
"They’re both in prison right now for it, and insurance and insurance only covers the cost of everything. So you only get that check, and then you got to find product again," Johnson said.
This latest break-in marks the third card or game shop hit in the Twin Cities in the last month.
Johnson said, "Pissed, and you know, part that happened again. You know, like we upgraded our security, and they smash and dash. It's the fourth or fifth game store in the last month that it happened to. So something needs to happen."
Johnson said he had considered adding more security after hearing about other card shops being targeted but did not expect it would happen to him so soon.
The store is now considering extra security measures until the window is replaced, including having an employee stay overnight or even bringing in a watch dog.
What we don't know:
Authorities have not said if the same people are responsible for all the recent break-ins or if any suspects have been identified in this case.