A 23-year-old Chicago man is facing five felony robbery charges after he allegedly used Facebook Marketplace to set up meetings with sellers before pulling a gun and stealing their Pokémon cards, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Anthony Garcia, of the 3100 block of West 53rd Street, was arrested Tuesday, in the 5200 block of South Troy Street by CPD’s Citywide Robbery Task Force.
Officials said Garcia contacted victims who posted advertisements on Facebook Marketplace offering to sell Pokémon cards, agreed to buy the cards, and then directed the sellers to a building lobby in the 5200 and 5300 blocks of South Kedzie Street. When the victims arrived, CPD said, Garcia displayed a gun and took their Pokémon cards.
Garcia is accused of carrying out five such robberies in less than two weeks: on March 17, March 27, March 28, and twice on March 29. All of the victims were men between the ages of 19 and 29.
He is scheduled for a detention hearing on Thursday afternoon.
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