British band Sports Team robbed at gunpoint on first day of US tour in terrifying coffee stop robbery
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Indie-rock outfit Sports Team, who have two top 10 albums and are set to release their third, took to social media to share with fans that their tour van, carrying equipment and personal belongings, had been swiped by a thief armed with a gun. The incident took place at around 8.45am as the musicians stopped for coffee in the Bay area of California.
The post on the band’s Instagram read: “Just been robbed at gun point 10 minutes into the US tour. Stopped for coffee. Man runs in saying some guys are smashing into a van. Ran out to try to stop it and find masked guys ransacking the van. Start yelling and they pull out a gun.
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“Police response was “submit an online report.” Lost a lot of personal gear, but they didn’t get the instruments so driving on to Sacramento to play tonight. They can take our Nintendo Switches but they can never take our ability to play rock songs about motorways.
“In all seriousness pretty shocking how resigned everyone seemed to be to it. “It happens”. 9am at some petrol station Starbucks. Wild.”
The Instagram post also featured a video of the encounter, which saw the thief pull the gun on the band’s tour manager as she and another member of the touring group ran for cover. Lead singer Alex Rice told BBC News: "Obviously, if someone pulls a gun, you run for cover.
"But the thing that struck me about it was the resignation. The people around us weren't very panicked at all. It seemed like a very everyday occurrence."
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Hide AdDrummer Al Greenwood added: "Somebody opened the door and was like, does anybody have a white Sprinter van? Because you're being robbed right now. So we all ran out, shouting. 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.'"
"I really thought I was about to watch someone get shot, because it took a while for our tour manager to realise. In the video, you can hear me screaming at her to get down."
The thief made off with personal items such as laptops and electronics, as well as swiping passports and documents. However, the band’s instruments were not stolen in the encounter, with Sports Team adamant that the tour would be going ahead regardless of the terrifying encounter.
Greenwood added: 'We're definitely not going to let this put us off. And ultimately, it really makes you reflect on things to be grateful for, both here and at home."
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