A “cereal” trading card thief was caught with stolen merchandise in Brea.
The exact date of the incident was not immediately known; however, the Brea Police Department posted on Instagram to announce the apprehension of a “cereal thief” (a play on “serial”) who had “a very specific and ultimately unsuccessful method of question.”
“Officers caught a habitual shoplifter attempting to conceal Pokémon cards and other collectibles that would then be placed inside cereal boxes to avoid detection at checkout,” Brea PD posted.

Southern California police nab ‘cereal’ trading card theft suspect. (IG/@breapd)

Southern California police nab ‘cereal’ trading card theft suspect. (IG/@breapd)
The department noted that the stolen merchandise was recovered without incident and that the thief has been arrested.
“While the suspect was busy trying to ‘CATCH EM ALL,’ they forgot that we’re committed to doing the same when it comes to organized retail theft,” the Brea Police Department concluded.
The suspect’s name was not released.
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