Surveillance cameras captured footage of a man hiding out in a Pasadena Best Buy store hours before it was set to open. The incident occurred on the same day as a crowd of Pokémon fans camped outside the store, awaiting the latest trading card drop.
Pasadena police received a call around 1 a.m. Wednesday, from Best Buy security staff who reported seeing a man walking around inside the closed store, said Lt. Tim Bundy.
Police officers and the manager arrived at the store located within a shopping center off East Foothill Boulevard.
The manager opened the doors and the security gate, allowing officers inside. Authorities immediately located 45-year-old Patrick Keys, a known transient in the area, and arrested him without incident, Bundy said.
A preliminary investigation into the man’s hideout found no signs of forced entry. Police believe Keys went into the Best Buy during store hours and hid inside at the time of closing, according to the police department.
“He ate some snacks, had some drinks, and it’s unknown if he actually stole anything else,” Bundy said.
A review of the footage shows Keys taking AirPods out of their packaging, but it’s unclear if he was trying to steal them, Bundy said.
Keys has been arrested on suspicion of burglary.
At the time of the arrest, a small crowd of Pokémon fans was camped outside of the Best Buy waiting to purchase the latest set of trading cards, the Scarlet & Violet 151 expansion.
Officers don’t believe Keys was hiding out in the store to be the first to nab a set of the Pokémon cards.
Bundy said, “As far as I can tell, it was a coincidence.”
