Sweetwater smoke shop owner seeks help identifying man seen on video stealing Pokémon cards

A Sweetwater smoke shop owner is asking for the public's help in identifying a man caught on surveillance video stealing more than a dozen packs of Pokémon cards without paying.

The theft happened Saturday night at SNS Smoke Shop, located at 10362 W. Flagler St., according to owner Alexis Jaspe.

"I feel shocked," Jaspe told CBS News Miami. "For someone just to come and take things from the shelf, it feels sad."

Jaspe, who declined to show his face during the interview, said surveillance footage shows the man approaching a shelf as he finished a cash transaction. The man then placed a backpack on the shelf in an apparent attempt to conceal his actions.

"He took a bunch of packages from the shelf, and he just left," Jaspe said.

As the man walked away, he dropped one of the packs, picked it up, and continued out of the store.

Jaspe believes the suspect targeted the collectible cards, thinking they were valuable. However, the stolen packs were among the shop's least expensive items, selling for $7.50 each while nearby Pokémon products carry price tags ranging from $80 to $350.

Jaspe estimated the total value of the stolen merchandise at less than $120, but noted that his concern extends beyond the financial loss.

"I want him to be in jail because he was stealing from this business; he could be stealing from anybody else's business," Jaspe said. "This is something that shouldn't be happening."

Jaspe has filed a report with the Sweetwater Police Department and urges anyone who recognizes the man in the video to contact authorities.