4 arrested for allegedly stealing $100K from Burbank trading card store

Burbank police arrested four men for allegedly stealing about $100,000 in Pokémon and sports cards from a local store in early December. 

The Burbank Police Department said Brian Chavez, 22, Jeremy Lopez, 22, Marco Barrongil, 26 and Elijah Garcia, 27, allegedly used a crowbar and power tools to break into LA Sports Cards at 1922 W. Olive Ave. early in the morning on Dec. 2. 

"Total loss is many six figures," said Kiet Nguyen, the store owner. "The perpetrators were in and out in two minutes. Quick."

The store's security cameras captured the suspects ransacking the store and tossing boxes of Pokémon cards into trash bags.

"This is our blood, sweat, toil and tears," Nguyen said, noting that the thieves seemed especially focused on their exclusive Pokémon collection. "It was Pokémon. It wasn't 'One Piece,' it wasn't Disney, it wasn't Magic, it was Pokémon."

Nguyen said the suspects also looted the back room, where he stored highly collectible cards, including a rare card of soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. Nguyen estimated the card was worth $100,000 by itself. 

"It feels like a violation," Nguyen said. "This is like our home. Feels like someone went in our home, ransacked our things. It was personal to that level."

While the suspects were gone by the time officers arrived, investigators used the surveillance footage to track down the four men. Investigators secured search warrants for their locations and found evidence linking them to the burglary, according to Burbank PD. 

Police handed their case over to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for formal charges.