On Friday, a fight broke out in a Target parking lot in Brooksfield, Wisconsin soon after the store restocked trading cards. Witnesses called the police after one man pulled a gun, and it was reported that a group of men was attacking the gun owner when he pulled the gun. Shortly after police arrived, the Target and Trader Joes went into lockdown.
According to a police press release about the incident, the man never fired his weapon and no one was seriously hurt. The incident happened on May 7 at 8:20AM outside of the Target store, which has a policy of only selling collectible items at 8AM on Fridays. The police reported that four men attacked a fifth man when he exited the Target store carrying a box of sports cards.
"Preliminary reports revealed that this altercation appears to have stemmed from a disagreement involving the purchase/possession of sports trading cards obtained from Target," the police report noted. "During the assault, the victim who is a valid [concealed carry] holder was able to access his firearm at which point his attackers fled on foot. No shots were fired nor did the victim pursue his attackers. All four were located in the surrounding area and taken into custody. The victim suffered minor injuries which did not require immediate medical attention on the scene."
Watch the report from WISN 12 news:
According to the police report, the four men have been arrested and charged with battery. There's been a huge demand for sports, Magic: The Gathering, and Pokémon cards, but retail giants like Walmart and Target stores in North America couldn't keep up with them. Target already changed its policy, limiting the number of collectible itmes that can be purchased in a day, and only selling the merchandise on Friday mornings. Target recently announced that starting on Friday, May 14, sales of trading cards will be halted but restrictions will only affect physical stores, so fans can still order on the store's official website.
"The safety of our guests and our team is our top priority," a Target spokesperson said told Polygon. "Out of an abundance of caution, we've decided to temporarily suspend the sale of MLB, NFL, NBA and Pokemon trading cards within our stores."
Target's decision comes just a week after Walmart's decision to suspend the sale of trading cards due to "inappropriate behavior and incrased demand".
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Over on Facebook, a fan shared a photo revealing a Walmart location locking away Magic: The Gathering products inside a display case.
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