British Band Robbed at Gunpoint on First Day of US Tour
A terrifying ordeal befell British indie rock band Sports Team mere hours after landing in California for their highly anticipated US tour. Their Monday morning pit stop at a Vallejo Starbucks turned into a nightmare when a group of armed assailants ransacked their van.
"Just been robbed at gun point 10 minutes into the US tour," the band shared in a chilling Instagram post, accompanied by footage from a gas station security camera capturing the shocking event.
The video depicts a chaotic scene unfolding as one masked assailant brandished a weapon. The band’s tour manager bravely confronted him, but the robber’s response was chilling: he pointed the gun directly at her.
“Man runs in saying some guys are smashing into a van,” the band recounted in the post. “Ran out to try to stop it and find masked guys ransacking the van.”
The thieves made off with valuable equipment and personal belongings, including laptops, in-ear monitors, cameras, and Nintendo Switches.
“They can take our Nintendo Switches, but they can never take our ability to play rock songs about motorways," the band wrote, attempting to find humor in the face of adversity. But they also expressed their shock at the apparent lethargy of local residents who seemed resigned to the crime. “In all seriousness pretty shocking how resigned everyone seemed to be to it,” they shared, adding, "‘It happens.’"
Thankfully, the band’s instruments remained unharmed, allowing them to fulfill their fans’ anticipation and perform at Sacramento’s Goldfield Trading Post that same evening.
Drummer Al Greenwood recounted the harrowing encounter in detail: “Somebody opened the door and was like, does anybody have a white Sprinter van? Because you’re being robbed right now," he told BBC News. Lauren, our tour manager, was slightly ahead of me, and somebody else ran past us in the opposite direction, and said, ‘Careful, he’s holding something.’”
The sound of panic resonated in Greenwood’s voice: “I really thought I was about to watch someone get shot, because it took a while for our tour manager to realize. In the video, you can hear me screaming at her to get down.”
Known for their hits like "The Drop," "Here’s the Thing," and "M5," Sports Team is no stranger to acclaim. They earned a Mercury Prize nomination in 2020 for their debut album, "Deep Down Happy," which soared to number two on the UK Albums Chart. Their 2022 follow-up, "Gulp!", continued their success, reaching the top three. Despite this shocking incident, the band proved their resilience, rocking out for fans just hours after the traumatic encounter.
