Armed Robbery at Pokémon Card Store in Quebec’s Lanaudière Region

There was an armed robbery at a Pokémon card store in the Lanaudière region of Quebec last month.

Chilling video appears to show a man pointing a gun at the store owner while customers, including a 10-year-old boy, watched on in shock.

On the morning of June 18, security footage shows a man walk into the MissingNo. store in Saint-Alexis, about 60 kilometres northeast of Montreal, holding what appears to be a firearm.

He wasn’t looking for cash, however — he was after expensive collectibles.

“He came inside, so I stepped up and went to him. Then he showed me a gun and told everyone to stand up,” said co-owner Jean-François Hétu.

The customers stood paralyzed as the robber filled a hockey bag with around $30,000 worth of merchandise. On his way out the door, with the gun still in his hand, he said, “Thank you. Have a good night.”

Hetu and co-owner Charles Breault-Pariseau weren’t going to let him get away easily. They burst out of the store with baseball bats, smashing the robber’s taillights and passenger-side window as he sped away.

“We wanted the police to recognize the car,” said Breault-Pariseau.

Their strategy worked. About two hours later, police arrested Dany El-Aawar. He is facing three charges related to the robbery and several more charges linked to a string of other robberies dating back to April.

“He already had time to take the hockey bag with all the stuff he stole from us and give it to another person, so we didn’t get our stuff back,” said Hétu.

Customers at MissingNo. must now buzz to get in, and there’s a button behind the till that unlocks the front door. Extra security cameras covering every square inch of the store have also been installed.

Security bars were installed two years ago when the store first opened, as the value of Pokémon cards began to skyrocket.

The owners are sharing their harrowing story as a warning to others in the industry.

“We’re in 2026, so right now the game is like this,” said Hétu. “You have to take responsibility and have protection for your customers.”

He said it was only three days after the robbery that he fully realized how dangerous the situation had been.