Pokémon Scalper Reportedly Arrested After Punching Man in the Face Over 30th Anniversary Target Drop

A Pokémon scalper has reportedly been arrested and trespassed after punching a man in a viral confrontation that resulted in a four-year-old child getting hurt in the chaos.

A Target store in Lisbon, Connecticut is at the center of a viral incident that occurred on August 28, 2026. Footage from the ordeal spread across social media in late September, showing two scalpers with a cart full of Pokémon merchandise making their way to the shop’s self-checkout stations.

The person who recorded the footage confronted the duo along with his girlfriend, who submitted the footage to PokéStreetz, an account dedicated to exposing bad behavior within the Pokémon TCG community.

In the footage, the four parties argued about the amount of merchandise the scalpers were making off with; the scalpers themselves proudly said, “Damn straight” that they were checking out with all that merch, rather than abiding by the two-per-person limit enacted by Target, and warned the couple not to touch their shopping cart.

The recorder and his girlfriend continued to follow the scalpers up to a self-checkout station, where one of the scalpers decked the recorder in the face, causing him to drop his phone on the ground. Scuffling can be heard in the background, along with a child crying.

PokéStreetz claimed that the recorder fell into this child, a four-year-old girl, after being punched by the scalper. The girl also reportedly fell in the impact and hurt her elbow; although the recorder “immediately” went to check up on the girl, the scalper fled, allegedly leaving his wallet behind.

🚨 TARGET RESTOCK ENDS WITH A PUNCH & A CHILD GETS HURT?! OH NAAAA 🚨

📺 This Morning on PokéStreetz

📍 Target — Lisbon, CT
📅 August 28, 2026 | ⏰ Around noon

The submitter says she & her boyfriend were fourth or fifth in line when two shoppers ahead allegedly filled their… pic.twitter.com/0b7BpAS3WO

— PokéStreetz (@POKESTREETZ) September 5, 2026

According to the account, the scalper was arrested and trespassed from the Target after he returned to retrieve his wallet. PokéStreetz also claimed that the father of the injured girl called police after staff at Target allegedly declined to take action.

The scuffle was verified by a local TCG player in a Pokémon drops and restocks Facebook Group, who described the situation as a “nightmare.”

“Lisbon Target was a nightmare today,” they wrote. “Needless to say, they are changing some things I believe, also no UFC if anyone was looking for that lol. Someone went and whipped out all the Hops and AH tins, then when they got recorded at the front, they got violent and punched someone in the face. I didn’t get names or anything, but it was not the normal crew, as I am somewhat of a hang-around sometimes, and none of the regulars were there.”

No police records or local reports regarding the scalpers’ supposed arrest and trespassing have been located thus far. The incident is one of several that have broken out amid Pokémon's 30th Anniversary celebrations, where special collaborations, merchandise, and trading card drops have resulted in chaos.

For example, the hype around Pokémon's 30th Anniversary September trading card drop went viral for the sheer amount of customers who lined up outside shops hours before launch, with some camping outside, while others ‘reserved’ their spots with ‘ghost chairs’ as crowds of fans vied for the chance at snagging some packs.

Luckily, the powers that be seem to have made enough cards to go around this time, and it’s hurting scalpers; a scalping Discord group made the rounds on social media after moaning that the excessive stock was hurting their businesses.

Image Credit: Kindel Media, The Pokemon Company