PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A store full of fun and games turned into a crime scene after a very pricey smash and grab, as someone broke into Atlantis Games and Comics on Airline Boulevard in Portsmouth over the weekend.
Minutes before 5 a.m. Saturday, two people in hooded sweatshirts smashed the glass doors of Atlantis and shoved $17,000 worth of rare cards into a bag.
“Smashed both of our glass cases that held our Magic the Gathering singles cards,” said store manager Jon Farmer. “It’s kind of like old comic books for a new age of people. They’re very collectible. Some of them are very expensive, very old. Several of them that were taken from us were printed back in 1993.”
Farmer told us the pair were in and out in minutes and escaped through a back door.
“It was pretty quick, pretty targeted,” Farmer said.
Photos of the aftermath taken by Atlantis owner Steve Matousek show broken glass and cards strewn across the ground.
“My heart sank,” Matousek said. “I knew exactly what happened and it wasn’t random vandalism. For the first 30, 40 minutes, it was almost shell shock. The products they stole was about $17,000 worth of stuff and the other damages are probably another $3,000.”
Matousek said he’s been in contact with other stores in case someone tries to sell them the stolen cards and to warn them so they don’t become the next victims.
“I care more that the people are caught,” Matousek said. “They did it once. I could see it happening to other stores.”
To Matousek and Farmer, Atlantis is more than a store. It’s a community.
“The customers are what keep us alive and what keep us as a place to gather,” Matousek said.
Portsmouth police are investigating the break in. If you have any information, contact them.