By Ellis Dusk | U.S. / Unusual Affairs | November 13, 2026
PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. — What began as an ordinary Thursday afternoon at a Pembroke Pines Target became, briefly, the kind of civic emergency one usually associates with hurricane preparation.
A disagreement near the trading-card section escalated into a physical confrontation between two customers over Pokémon cards, leaving one man in handcuffs and both with injuries.
Martin Bellamy, 42, who uses a wheelchair, was arrested following the altercation. Bellamy sustained a black eye, while his opponent, Derek Whitcomb, 36, who was standing during the dispute, emerged with a bruised knee.
Both men now face the uncomfortable task of explaining injuries that will presumably require a more convincing story than “I was trying to catch them all.”
What prompted the disagreement remains unclear, although the prospect of obtaining rare Pokémon cards apparently carried enough emotional significance to make a peaceful Thursday afternoon entirely unacceptable.
Shoppers near the display witnessed what can only be described as an aggressive disagreement over commercially printed cardboard.
The confrontation began with competing claims over merchandise and escalated after both men appeared unwilling to surrender their opportunity to purchase the cards. Neither participant seemed particularly interested in the radical alternative of simply returning another day.
Target employees, meanwhile, found themselves overseeing what was likely the most entertaining development of their entire shift.
After hours of restocking shelves, folding clothes and directing customers toward merchandise located directly behind them, a spontaneous Pokémon-related altercation offered a welcome departure from the usual retail routine.
The excitement was unfortunately interrupted by the arrival of law enforcement.
Bellamy was subsequently placed in handcuffs, leaving him with a black eye and considerably more paperwork than he had anticipated when entering the store.
Whitcomb, meanwhile, was left nursing his bruised knee and the realization that attempting to acquire Pokémon cards had somehow resulted in an actual physical injury.
The incident raises questions about the increasingly competitive trading-card market, where limited inventory and inflated resale prices have apparently convinced otherwise reasonable adults that securing a holographic cartoon creature is worth a confrontation with law enforcement.
Finding the appropriate corporate language to address two adults fighting over Pikachu merchandise would undoubtedly present its own challenges.
Normal shopping activities resumed following the disturbance. As for the Pokémon cards that sparked the confrontation, their whereabouts remain unknown.
Neither man’s injuries are expected to increase the resale value of the merchandise.
The cards, as always, were already gone.
About the writer
Ellis Dusk covers U.S. and unusual affairs for The Tea Bag Times. Meet our newsroom.
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