British indie rock band robbed at gunpoint in California '10 minutes into US tour,' group says
(KRON) – A British indie rock band that had just embarked on a U.S. tour said they were robbed at gunpoint outside a Starbucks in California on Tuesday.
Sports Team, a six-piece London-based alternative rock band, had stopped for coffee when someone alerted them that their van was being ransacked by robbers, according to their latest Instagram post.
One of the band members said they went outside to confront the robbers, only for them to "pull out a gun."
"Just been robbed at gun point 10 minutes into the US tour," the band wrote. (Sports Team had embarked on the U.S. leg of their current tour on Dec. 2, with a show in San Francisco.)
Video posted by the band from inside the Starbucks shows what appears to be the thief waving a gun at members of the tour before two people retreat back inside.
"This is so f---ed up!" one person inside the coffee shop can be heard saying.
The thief, according to a statement from the band cited by The Guardian, got away with stage equipment, laptops, passports, personal items and other valuables.
"Lost a lot of personal gear, but they didn't get the instruments so driving to Sacramento to play tonight," the Instagram post continued. "They can take our Nintendo Switches but they can never take our ability to play rock songs about motorways."
According to the band, local law enforcement simply told them to "submit an online report."
"In all seriousness pretty shocking how resigned everyone seemed to be to it. 'It happens.' 9 a.m. at some petrol station Starbucks. Wild," the post concluded.
Sports Team is due to play a gig at Goldfield Trading Post in Sacramento Tuesday night before returning to the Bay Area to play at the Chapel in San Francisco on Saturday, according to the band's website.
The group has had two top albums in the UK, and have been nominated for a prestigious Mercury Prize in 2020.
Nexstar's KRON has reached out to the Vallejo Police Department for more information.