Those ‘Pocket Monsters’ Spawn a Mini Crime Wave

Now that the innocent game of Pokemon has become a nationwide craze, children are coming to blows over the trading cards.

In the last week in Philadelphia, for example, four children from one middle school were arrested for attacking other students to steal Pokemon cards. A 14-year-old in Quebec was recently stabbed during a fight over the cards.

Even adults are committing Pokemon violence. On Thursday, a North Carolina man was charged with assault for allegedly punching a Burger King cashier after he did not get a Pokemon toy with his meal.

“There are Pokemon card sharks out there,” said Philadelphia police officer Charlie Sarkioglu. “This is worse than the Cabbage Patch Kid craze because now it’s the kids who are actually fighting each other instead of just the parents.”

Pokemon--popularized by a Japanese video game depicting tiny monsters--has become so popular among children ages 5 to 13 that some say it’s bigger than past obsessions with Beanie Babies or Star Wars. The card game involves a host of imaginary creatures, each with its own set of special powers. The goal is to win as many cards as possible.

The cards cost $3 a pack, but rare cards can go for more than $200.

Pokemon has become so distracting that schools from coast to coast have banned the games and trading cards.

Sarkioglu, who visits elementary schools to give children tips on how to avoid getting robbed, said many kids tend to think they need the cards because they are so popular.

At Philadelphia’s Wilson Middle School on Monday, two boys punched and threw a trash can at an 11-year-old boy in a bathroom. The attackers ran off with two Pokemon cards and 75 cents. They were charged with robbery and suspended for five days.

Tony Ward’s 10-year-old son and his friend were robbed of $60 worth of cards Sunday in Philadelphia. He said he wishes his son wouldn’t trade cards anymore.

“But he insists on having them,” Ward said. “Hopefully he has learned his lesson and won’t carry around as many cards anymore. I tell him when he goes out he has to be more street smart now.”