Texas police are “aggressively investigating” the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of baseball cards that was caught on camera.
The brazen theft took place on July 7 at the Dallas Card Show, the largest card show series in the U.S., held six times a year in Allen, Texas. Victim Ashish Jai, owner of Legacy Cardz, posted video footage on Instagram of who he said were the suspects carrying out the theft. He also shared images of dozens of vintage cards which he said were taken.
One of the suspects seen in the footage appears to be stacking chairs, but then reaches for a case of cards under the table and walks away, whilst the card dealers are seen talking to others.
Jai said on Instagram that his team was distracted by a group of people in what he believes was a premeditated, targeted robbery.
Writing about the video on Instagram, Jai said, “The man seen taking the case from under the table in the middle of the square of tables had been stacking chairs near the booth for over an hour, and we thought he worked there.
“These guys had been scoping us out all day after footage review, and even went thru a process of changing clothes. It was predetermined, and targeted because they knew exactly what case to take, which contained a large portion of my inventory…”
Jai told Newsweek that the estimated value of the stolen cards was approximately $2 million. He has offered a $70,000 reward for the return of the stolen cards, or information leading to their return, and asked for anyone who does possess information to contact either him or the Allen Police Department.
Officer Sam Rippamonti, a spokesperson for Allen Police Department, told Newsweek that officers were still in the early stages of the investigation.
“We are putting any available resources towards identifying the suspects so they can be held accountable,” Rippamonti said. “It appears that this was an organized group that distracted the owner while one was able to deprive the owner of his cards.”
The theft of collectable cards is not uncommon. In May, a man in Florida was apprehended by two MMA coaches after trying to abscond with $30,000 worth of Pokémon cards in Miami.
Footage circulated on social media after the attempted robbery took place of the suspect being confronted by three men, one of whom was shirtless, who restrained the would-be thief on the floor.
“My friend jumped out of the car, cut him off and that’s when we got on top of him and used our ju-jitsu to subdue him,” said Dominic Galiana, one of the two martial arts coaches from a nearby center who can be seen confronting the thief in the video.
The suspect, identified at the time by police as 33-year-old Jasiel Manfarrol, was charged with grand theft.
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The post Video Shows Thieves Making Off with $2 Million Worth of Baseball Cards appeared first on Newsweek.
