Let’s just answer the immediate question before we continue. Yes, this did happen in Florida. It’s the only state in the union where you’re going to see a combination of events that lead to a headline like you just read. So that all being said, we’ll dive into the first paragraph of the article where we mention a tangentially related aside like, “Pokémon cards are perhaps more ferociously popular now than when they debuted in America about 25 years ago.” That so much is true, they are, which is perhaps why this bizarrely brazen and stupid theft happened in the first place. Also, it’s Florida Man.
It started in Miami at the Pro Play Games store. As mentioned, Pokémon cards, especially vintage ones, have risen in value quite a lot. This particular Pro Play Games store had collected them in a binder that held an estimated value of $30,000 worth of cards within its pages. A man identified as Jasiel Manfarrol asked the manager to see the cards but then grabbed the entire binder and made a run for it out of the store.
Well, as John Lennon once sang, “Instant Karma’s gonna get you,” and in this specific case it got him hard, and in the form of a pair of mixed martial arts coaches. As the thief was trying to run through a parking lot, one of the would be tacklers jumped out of a car to cut them off. This allowed time for Dominic Galiana and another MMA coach to subdue the man and pin him to the ground. It was only a matter of time before the store manager and the police appeared to resolve the situation.
At least the situation ended as peacefully as possible. Still, it’s regrettable that a grown man would resort to stealing Pokémon cards and reportedly taunting the manager while running away. A true Pokémon fan would know anyway that crime doesn’t pay; otherwise Team Rocket would’ve successfully stolen Pikachu two and-a-half decades ago. So kudos to those MMA coaches who put a quick stop to what otherwise could’ve been a successful heist.
Or to put it all another way:
“Thief attempt to run.”
“Thief can not run away due to MMA Coach’s’ arena trap.”
“MMA Coach used TACKLE!”
“It’s super effective!”
“Thief was knocked out”
“MMA Coach gained 50 exp.”
“Store Manager recovered $30,000”
