Video captured at least two individuals smashing their way into a Chicago trading card and comics shop early Monday morning.
Ronnie Holiday, the owner of Elite Sports Cards, told FOX 32 he received a phone call early Monday about a burglary at his high-end collectible store.
“It’s not the call you want to get at 2 o’clock in the morning,” he said.
The thieves got away with around $100,000 in valuable packs of Pokémon and major league sports cards as alarm bells rang from within the small business.
Surveillance video captured at least two thieves wearing hoodies and face coverings leaping into the store at approximately 1:54 a.m. on Monday morning.
According to Holiday, the thieves didn’t touch the register. They broke in, hopped over the counter, went straight to the high-end cards and ran out. No injuries were reported in the incident.
He said he believes the group of thieves was likely in the store, scoping out his valuable merchandise prior to the theft.
“I had to have some encountering without a doubt. I think just based on footage and the way they came in timewise, how long they spent, how they knew how to get out, how … to leave,” he said.
It’s unclear what the thieves used to break through the window, but Holiday told FOX 32 he’s going to invest in security upgrades.
“I have to change the styles of windows that I have now. … Very costly. These are thousands of dollars to replace these windows. It’s expensive,” he said.
Holiday explained that he’s a small business owner who has worked diligently to be successful, sharing a message directed to the thieves.
“You took away from my family, you … took away from what I worked hard for every day,” he said. “This is something that’s not given to me. I worked for this. I earned this.”
The Chicago Police Department said it is investigating, but no arrests have been made.
