A man has been arrested after allegedly stealing $12,000 worth of Pokemon cards from a store in Lake Park, Florida. What makes this Pokemon card heist particularly strange is the use of a chainsaw to break through the store's hurricane-proof windows. The accused is currently being charged with burglary of an unoccupied structure and grand theft greater than $10,000 but less than $20,000.
Pokemon cards have become a valuable commodity in recent years, making them a prime target for burglars as well as scaplers, and this isn't the first burglary of this kind. Not only are Pokemon card scalpers an ongoing problem among fans and collectors, but TCG stores have become targets for heists, given how lucrative the market for rare Pokemon card singles is. However, the use of a chainsaw for pulling off such a break-in is unique, sounding more like something out of Grand Theft Auto.
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Pokemon Cards Stolen Using Chainsaw for Break-In
On May 21, 33-year-old Clayton Warren was arrested after the owner of Collection Realm contacted the sheriff's office when surveillance footage showed a man attempting to burglarize the store. In this footage, the man identified as Warren was seen using a rock to try to break Collection Realm's front window. When that method failed due to the reinforced, hurricane-proof glass, the man resorted to using a chainsaw to cut his way into the building before snatching an estimated $12,000 worth of sleeved singles and bulk bonus Pokemon cards. Warren's vehicle was captured on a security camera, allowing investigators to track the vehicle to the West Palm Beach address where Warren was arrested.
Guess the games from the emojis.
Guess the games from the emojis.
This burglary is just the latest instance of thieves targeting Pokemon cards directly from collectibles shops. Back in November, another $10,000 worth of product was stolen from a Pokemon card shop owned by retired NFL superstar Tom Brady. In this instance, the perpetrator was able to make off with the pricey cards by convincing the store clerk that they had paid for the cards when they actually hadn't.
Over $1 million in Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, and Yu-Gi-Oh cards were stolen from a Newton Aycliffe, England, warehouse back in 2024. The rise in high-profile Pokemon card thefts seems directly tied to the increasing market value of some of the Pokemon TCG's rarest cards. Thieves targeting these shops hope to take advantage of hardcore Pokemon card collectors' willingness to pay inflated prices for the franchise's top-shelf collectibles.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
Put the consoles in the correct order.
This problem seems likely to increase as more sets of the collectible card game are released. The recently released Chaos Rising set has some pricey cards included in it, such as the full-art Mega Greninja EX card, worth over $500 on its own, and the set before that, Perfect Order, included a Meowth EX card valued at around $200. With the Pokemon TCG slated to release its next set, Pitch Black, in July 2026, Pokemon card collectors will likely need to brace for both scalpers and card shop thieves to limit their access to the new set.
Source: KSL