A man accused of robbing Pokémon card sellers with bear spray was arrested after police officers set up a sting and lured him to a fake card deal, Canadian authorities said.
The Vancouver Police Department said officers posed as sellers and communicated with the suspect online before arresting him when he arrived to collect cards on March 27. Police said they had responded to five similar incidents since March 23, leading up to the arrest, involving victims who reported being attacked during arranged sales, often set up through Facebook Marketplace.
"The suspect would arrange to meet sellers in a public place and, instead of buying the cards, would allegedly use bear spray on the victims, steal the cards, and run off," Vancouver Police Department Staff Sgt. Ryan Campbell said in an April 1 news release.
Campbell said the suspect, who is in his 20s and believed to have acted alone, was taken into custody without incident.
Vancouver police said the investigation is ongoing and that major crime investigators believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information is encouraged to come forward.
