A brazen theft occurred early Wednesday morning at Tofu's Trading, a beloved Bay Area trading card store specializing in Pokemon collectibles. Security footage captured the unusual incident, which saw three individuals break into the store around 2:00 AM PST on January 24. One suspect even crawled on the floor in an apparent attempt to avoid detection.
Despite their cloak-and-dagger tactics, the thieves' operation was swift and efficient. Within minutes, they made off with over 35,000 Pokemon cards, ranging from common finds to potentially rare and valuable treasures. The total value of the stolen merchandise is still being determined.
Amy Simpson, the store manager, stated that the alarm did not activate due to malfunctioning motion detectors. Although the San Jose police promptly responded, the store indicates that the three robbery suspects had already left within a few minutes.
"We saw like three people breaking in through our side door which was kind of ridiculous because there's a fridge blocking it - so I don't think it was a targeted attack at all," Ms Simpson, told ABC7.
"I don't think they were in for hobby necessarily because they didn't know what to take,".
The store's video footage reveals three thieves, their faces covered, searching through the store. Tofu's Trading lightened the mood by playfully mocking the incident and the thieves in edited surveillance footage, complete with sound effects and graphics, which was shared on Instagram.
Although the perpetrators successfully absconded with both the cards and the cash register, the store manager mentioned that they overlooked a unique collection of cards. This specific set, slated for release by the store just two days later, is an exclusive annual release.
Tofu's Trading estimates the stolen items are worth tens of thousands of dollars.
"We had to have some fun after a long stressful day of cleanup, inventory count, police report, insurance filing, and more," the store said on Instagram in a post featuring the comical video. "They can take our products, but they can never take away our love of running a local hobby store in our community."
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