Chainsaw Heist: A Pokémon Card Theft That Shocked Florida

A 33‑year‑old man from West Palm Beach allegedly used a portable chainsaw to break into a card shop in order to steal expensive Pokémon cards. The incident happened at Collection Realm, a store that displays rare card boxes behind glass near the register. According to security footage, the thief first tried breaking a window with a rock before bringing in the saw. He entered the shop, and blood was found on the scene, suggesting a struggle or injury. The police report says a man who looked like him visited the store on May 19, a few days before the theft.The shop owner estimates that about $12, 000 worth of cards were taken, many of them in sleeves or bulk. After the owner reported the crime, investigators traced a license plate to a West Palm Beach home where the suspect was located. He has now been charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure and grand theft in the $10, 000 to $20, 000 range. Card shop robberies are becoming more common across the U. S. and Europe. Just days after this case, a man in Arizona was caught on camera smashing a shop entrance with a sledgehammer and stealing roughly $7, 000 of cards in two minutes. The rise in high‑value card thefts raises questions about security measures at specialty stores and the lengths some thieves will go to acquire rare items.