Four men were arrested in the theft of rare trading cards and other collectibles worth tens of thousands of dollars last month at a Burbank sports card shop, police said Thursday.
The burglary was reported Dec. 2 at about 2 a.m. at LA Sports Cards in the 1900 block of West Olive Avenue. Officers determined the thieves broke in through the front of the business and ransacked the interior.
“A subsequent inventory revealed that numerous high-value items were stolen, including Pokémon trading card products, rare sports cards, and other collectible merchandise,” Burbank police said in a statement.
The total estimated loss was approximately $100,000, police said.
On Dec. 18 and Jan. 8, detectives served search warrants at four locations associated with the burglars, police said. The investigation included a review of security camera video, which helped identify suspects.
The suspects were identified as Brian Chavez, 22, of Los Angeles; Jeremy Lopez, 22, of Los Angeles; Marco Barrongil, 26, of North Hollywood; and Elijah Garcia, 27, of Compton. All four were arrested on suspicion of burglary.
The shop owner told NBCLA in December that he believed the thieves knew what they were looking for and where to find it.
“They started with the Pokémon side,” said Kit Nguyen, the owner of LA Sports Card.
The burglars also found rare Kobe Bryant and Cristiano Ronaldo trading cards, Nguyen said, but added the Pokémon cards have been his most popular products.
The theft is one of several recent reports involving collectibles cards, including heists in Glendale, West Los Angeles and Simi Valley. Law enforcement agencies are working to determined burglaries at card stores are connected.