Pokemon card theft: Suspect sought in $7,000 Tempe card shop burglary

International crime trend hits Tempe Pokemon store

A suspect is accused of stealing Pokemon cards worth thousands of dollars from a Tempe store. FOX 10's Andrew Christiansen has more on how this international trend has hit home. 

TEMPE, Ariz. - An international smash and grab trend has hit Tempe, targeting large quantities of Pokemon cards with values in the thousands of dollars. 

Local perspective:

A local store is the latest target, where a suspect made off with cards worth thousands. 

The crime aligns with a trend that has hit other shops in Las Vegas, New York and even as far as Canada and England. A suspect stole a bunch of cards from the Tempe store, called Bussin or Bustin'. The suspect hit the front door with a sledgehammer and then smashed through the door leading into the card shop.

What we know:

Surveillance video shared by the owner shows the suspect going through the part of the door that was glass, grabbing cards and merchandise off the shelves, and putting them into a bin. The owner stated it all happened within a few minutes, as the suspect stole more than $7,000 worth of merchandise.

Beyond the stolen inventory, the suspect also caused more than $10,000 worth of damage. 

"He did a lot of damage to a small business," said Chuck Shakta, owner of Skyluxx Grinds, Eats, and Suites. "This type of stuff, you can get caught. You can end up going to jail for something that's petty. Get a job. Get a life."

Big picture view:

A trading show for Pokemon cards took place in Mesa, where the owner of the event explained that Pokemon cards can be valued at as little as 25 cents or as high as database figures in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The owner explained that what makes a card valuable is its rarity, adding that his own shop has also been robbed in the past.

At the card show, a few vendors utilized security cameras over their cards. Back at Bussin or Bustin', the operators take their most valuable cards home at night, so that none of the highest-value items get stolen. 

What's next:

Police are continuing to look into the suspect who stole the cards.