Pokémon Card Shop’s First Community Event Ruined By Armed Anime Backpack Robbers

Earlier this month, a group of masked thieves wearing anime backpacks and brandishing hammers and a gun ran into a New York City card shop and then smashed and grabbed over $100,000 worth of merchandise, including Pokémon cards, from the store.

As reported by ABC7, police are currently investigating the armed robbery involving three masked individuals that took place at the Poke Court card shop in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District on January 7. An employee told the outlet that the thieves threatened everyone in the store as they smashed glass doors to access Pokémon cards and other related merch. According to the employee, the robbery happened suddenly and took only three minutes. Police arrived after someone called 911 and reported the robbery.

There were around 40 customers in the store when the three armed robbers entered and started smashing up the place. They were there as part of the Poke Court’s first community event. The shop opened in November 2025.

Poke Court owner Courtney Chin said that she has a detailed list of what was stolen and is hoping insurance will cover the loss. According to the owner, the store does have alarms, but she is unsure if they worked properly and plans to talk to her security company for more information. Chin is also contemplating hiring an armed guard to help protect the store.

“That’s been the recommendation of the police and of other shops in the area to get an armed guard or like a doorman,” Chin told ABC7.

This isn’t the first armed robbery targeting Pokémon cards and merch. We’ve seen many other card shops robbed by thieves over the last two years as Pokémon cards continue to grow in value and the demand for them skyrockets. In one incident that happened in September 2024, thieves asked employees which cards were the most valuable while robbing the place.