Several arrested after theft, robbery at Anime NYC, state police say
Several arrests were made after a theft and a robbery at Anime NYC at the Javits Center in Midtown Manhattan.
New York State Police say on Thursday, someone attending the anime convention was robbed of $600 cash.
Troopers located the three suspects, who were still in the area, and took them into custody. The suspects – identified as Jermaine R. McBean, of Queens Village; Ove Williams, of Brooklyn, and Raphique A. Morris, of Brooklyn – were arrested and charged with robbery and petit larceny.
In a separate incident on Friday morning, state police say $9,600 worth of Pokémon cards were stolen from a vendor at the convention.
Investigators arrested Joseph Quach, of Las Vegas, in connection to the theft later that day. Quach was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property.
There have been several thefts and robberies involving Pokémon cards across the Tri-State Area this year alone.
In June, masked thieves broke into a New Jersey hobby shop and stole $40,000-$50,000 worth of Pokémon cards and merchandise, and in the city, a Queens man was arrested for allegedly helping to steal over $100,000 worth of Pokémon cards during two armed robberies in January.
Anime NYC started Thursday and runs through Sunday. Organizers say it's the largest anime convention on the East Coast, and estimate 170,000 people will attend this weekend.
