TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Two Florida martial arts coaches stepped up on Monday after a man was arrested for reportedly trying to steal $30,000 worth of Pokemon cards from a gaming store.
Newly released surveillance video shows an attempted theft at the Pro-Play Games store in the 1400 block of Southwest 107th Street in Miami.
The attempted robbery occurred when 33-year-old Jasiel Manfarol entered the store and asked to see a binder filled with Pokemon cards. NBC affiliate WTVJ reported that when the store owner placed a binder in front of Manfarol, he grabbed it and took it away.
According to Pro-Play Games, the binder contained approximately 3,000 cards valued at more than $30,000.
“When I said, 'Drop your stuff,' I watched him walk away, and he turned around and laughed,” general manager Anamilena Machado told WTVJ. “At that moment, we felt so helpless, like we were just watching $30,000, $40,000 of our hard work disappear.”
However, when the 33-year-old man fled the store, he was confronted by the store owner and two other bystanders. Police said Manfarol pulled out a pair of pliers and made “several stabbing motions” at one of the men who tried to stop him, WTVJ reported.
According to the arrest report, Manfarol also said in Spanish, “I'm going to stab you.”
According to WTVJ, he was able to escape from the group of men, but moments later he encountered and tackled two coaches who were training at a nearby martial arts studio.
“Our friend jumped out of the car and cut himself off, and that's when we got on top of him and used jujitsu to subdue him,” Dominic Galiana told WTVJ.
Police quickly arrived at the scene and arrested Manfarol. The 33-year-old homeless suspect was arrested on charges of theft and aggravated assault.
