A mall store employee is being praised for thwarting two thieves who tried to run off with Pokémon cards worth about $2,700.

Security video showed the employee struggling with two men as they tried to make their escape at the MainPlace mall in Santa Ana, California.

The two men walked into the Anime store and grabbed several boxes of popular Pokémon cards.

“We don’t believe the confrontation happened inside the store, the confrontation happened outside once the employee saw them run from the store,” Sgt. Maria Lopez told KTLA.

After the two tried to get away with their loot, an employee chased them down and had a physical altercation that was captured by outside surveillance cameras.

The two dropped the precious Pokémon cards during the struggle but were able to run off before police could arrive.

A security guard can be seen on the video running to help but arriving moments too late.

The Santa Ana Police Department is asking for help from the public to identify the two suspects and offered a description of each. One male is described as Hispanic, about 5-feet-6-inches tall with a thin build, brown eyes, shaved black hair, and a mustache. He was wearing a green, button-up, long-sleeve shirt; black shorts; long, white socks; and Jordan sneakers colored red and black.

The other male is described as white, 6 feet tall with a thin build, black hair, and brown eyes. He was wearing black shorts with a gray sweater and long, knee-high socks.

Pokémon started as a Japanese role-playing game but has grown into a globally popular brand that includes television shows, movies, and card games.

Pokémon cards recovered after employee chases suspectswww.youtube.com

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