PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Phoenix police are searching for a masked thief who robbed a trading card shop Monday morning, making off with thousands of dollars in collectibles in the second robbery at the business this month.
Surveillance video from inside Power Card Shop, near 48th Street and Baseline Road, shows the masked suspect entering the store and ordering an employee to “get on the ground.” The employee complied as the thief pulled black trash bags from his pocket and told the worker to grab cards and fill the bags.
The employee followed the suspect’s orders, moving behind the counter to collect merchandise. The masked man eventually left and the employee was unharmed.
Vincent Aceto, the shop owner, said he received a call no business owner wants to get.
“He called me and said he got robbed. The guys here at the facility are great they kept the employee comfortable and then the police came,” Aceto said.
The card shop operates inside The Phhacility, an all-inclusive basketball gym.
Second robbery follows violent break-in
Aceto said his shop was still recovering from a previous break-in at the beginning of the month. Shelves from that robbery remain bare.
The earlier incident was more violent, according to Aceto, who shared photos of the damage. The suspects shot their way into the shop, leaving shattered glass throughout the store. The perpetrators left a gun behind on one of the shelves.
Aceto said he lost thousands of dollars in collectibles from both incidents combined. While grateful his team was unharmed, he expressed disappointment about the crimes.
“This is supposed to be a fun hobby, and when there’s people like that who come in and rob people and steal from others it just takes the fun out of the process of collecting and having fun,” Aceto said.
The back-to-back break-ins have affected Aceto’s outlook on his business and customers.
“You have to have alarms, sensors, metal backing behind your doors, we’ve taken all the right precautions to keep this place safe and they still find a way which is totally unacceptable,” Aceto said.
He plans to invest in additional security measures. The shop will remain closed for the next few days.
The Phoenix Police Department is investigating both break-ins. No suspects have been identified.
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