After several instances of Facebook Marketplace sellers being bear sprayed and robbed of their Pokémon cards, Vancouver Police (VPD) set up a sting to get their guy.
The VPD says officers responded to five incidents last week where victims would meet with a man to sell Pokémon cards, which in some cases were worth thousands of dollars.
However, what should have seemingly been a straightforward transaction would quickly go wrong.
“The suspect would arrange to meet sellers in a public place and, instead of buying the cards, would allegedly use bear spray on the victims, steal the cards and run off,” explained S/Sgt. Ryan Campbell.
In an attempt to put an end to the string of robberies, the VPD set up a sting on March 27.
They reached out to the suspect online, arranged to sell him Pokémon cards and placed him under arrest when he showed up to the meeting spot.
Cst. Darren Wong advised anyone planning on buying, selling or trading items with someone they don’t know to use their designated ‘Safe Exchange Location’ in front of VPD headquarters on Cambie Street.
“It is well lit and we have monitored security cameras,” he noted.
The investigation is ongoing and police believe there are additional victims who have not yet come forward. Anyone with information is urged to call 604-717-2541.
