Thief pulled from Pasadena Best Buy as line formed outside for Pokemon cards
A man was arrested for burglarizing a closed Best Buy in Pasadena during the early hours of Wednesday, hours before a highly anticipated restock of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, 151 trading cards. Despite the timing, police stated there is no evidence linking the suspect to the Pokemon card release or the collectors waiting outside. The incident coincides with a broader rise in thefts involving valuable Pokemon cards across the United States.
- ▪Patrick Keys, a 45-year-old homeless man, was arrested inside a locked Pasadena Best Buy after reportedly entering during business hours and staying past closing.
- ▪Police found no signs of forced entry and reported that Keys consumed snacks, drank soda, and opened a package of AirPods while inside the store.
- ▪Outside the store, Pokemon fans had begun lining up hours in advance for the release of the nostalgic Scarlet & Violet, 151 expansion set.
- ▪Authorities confirmed the burglary was unrelated to the Pokemon card restock, calling the timing a coincidence.
- ▪The arrest occurs amid a national surge in Pokemon card thefts, including high-value heists in Anaheim, Burbank, and West Los Angeles.
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Metro Thief pulled from Pasadena Best Buy as line formed outside for Pokemon cards By Daniel Farr Published April 30, 2026, 11:49 p.m. ET A man was arrested inside a locked Pasadena Best Buy in the early hours of Wednesday while Pokemon collectors lined up outside for a highly sought-after card restock, with police saying the odd timing appears to be a coincidence rather than part of any Pokemon-style “catch them all” scheme. Officers were called to the store on the 3400 block of East Foothill Boulevard around 1:15 a.m.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at California Post.
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