- Michael Baker was found with nabbed Pokemon cards
- He was taken into police custody in Visalia over the weekend
- The investigation remains open and active
Pokemon cards at the the centre of a armed robbery arrest in Visalia.
Michael Baker was taken into police custody after allegedly being involved in a string of thefts from various shops in Washington state.
According to eyewitness testimony reported in Komo News, a man entered the shop, took a display case holding an estimated 100 to 120 packs of Pokemon cards, with a total value of $1,000.
Read more: Pokemon cards save fan from gunshot
— Pokémon Daily (@pokemon_dailyy) April 27, 2025
People at the scene say the individual fled the scene. When staff followed him to his getaway car, and when they searched him, a firearm was wedged into his waistband.
The 30-year-old was arrested on Sunday by Officers from Kern County and taken for questioning. Later, he was booked into Tulare County Adult Pre-Trail.
According to news reports, the investigation is currently active and on-going.
Have Pokemon cards been in the news recently elsewhere?
Earlier this month, a Pokemon card collector opened up about the collectable trading game saved his life from a bullet.
It introduced us into creatures like Pikachu, Squirtle, Bulbarous. As the franchise developed, it has brought in hundreds of Pokemon and characters.
Pikachu attends the BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards at SSE Arena Wembley on October 23, 2016 in London, England (2016) pic.twitter.com/RhbKJ5dr06
— Great British Getty Images (@shitbritishpics) October 11, 2023
Writing on Reddit, they detailed the surprising way a big wedge of the cards stopped a bullet from wedging its way.
Many on the forum found the ancedote a life-affirming reminder of how important the game, which inspired a internationally popular anime show.
“While I was asleep one Sunday, a series of explosions woke me. I live in the country, so usually these are gunshots being fired by our next-door neighbor–who doesn’t use a berm or backstop,” detailed a Reddit user posting as LolaInSlacks88.
The user added, “Turns out my idiot neighbors shot a bullet into my house, and an Incineroar theme deck stopped it.”
“The actual 9mm bullet was still inside the box. If it hadn’t been there, it would have likely struck me while I was asleep as it was level with my bed.”
They even added some images of the effected deck including the bullet hole.
