Crime & Safety

Two Teens Arrested for Stealing Nearly $5,000 Worth of Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Cards

Robbed a young man at gun point last week outside his home

Petaluma police have arrested two teens in connection with an armed robbery that occurred Thursday, February 9 on a cul-de-sac off Ely Boulevard South.

The arrested include Javier Zamudio-Saenz, 19, from Cotati and a 16-year-old teen from Rohnert Park, who is not being identified because he is a minor.

According to police, the two robbed a young man at gunpoint outside his home in the 400 block of Marylyn Court, stealing about $5,300 worth of personal property, including about $4,800 worth of Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards. The cards use Japanese manga characters and are highly prized by collectors.

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A day after the robbery, police went to the Baseball Cards and Memorabilia shop in Rohnert Park after learning that one of the suspects, along with two other juvenile subjects, had tried to sell the stolen cards. The owner of the store knew about the robbery and alerted police.

"The victim had been playing and collecting the cards for years," said Petaluma Detective Joel Stemmer. "The suspects befriended the victim a couple of weeks ago at a tournament...I don't know if they thought it was a quick way to get some money or that the cards were valuable to them."

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So far, police have arrested Javier Zamudio-Saenz on charges of robbery and possession of stolen property, along with a 16-year-old boy. And they are searching for another suspect along with the gun used in the robbery.

If anyone has any information about this crime, contact Detective Joel Stemmer at 778-4532.


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