A man has been accused of camping overnight in a California Best Buy—as Pokémon fans waited outside for the next trading card release.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, a 45-year-old Pasadena man was spotted inside the Best Buy just hours before the store opened on Wednesday morning (April 29). Police were notified about the man walking inside the closed store at 1 a.m.
After a manger unlocked the door to let authorities in, Pasadena man Patrick Keys, who is unhoused, was discovered and arrested without incident. The man did not force entry into the Best Buy but seemed to enjoy his time in the entertainment and electronics store.
Keys allegedly hid inside the store when it closed, chowed down on snacks, consumed drinks, and opened a box of AirPods. It is unknown if the man stole anything else.
Police Lt. Tim Bundy called the man’s presence a “coincidence” as a crowd of Pokémon fans grew outside the store before his arrest. It was previously believed that Keys snuck his way inside the store to be one of the first to grab Pokémon cards.
The Pokémon fandom has only increased in the franchise’s near-30 years of existence. To pay off wedding fees, a 37-year-old England man recently auctioned off his collected Pokémon cards worth $41,000.
"I wasn't expecting them to be worth anything like that,” said Andrew Braund. “They have the highest monetary value, but the lowest sentimental value. The ones I loved as a kid look worn from being in my pockets all the time."
