UK Band Sports Team Held at Gunpoint in California Robbery
British indie ensemble Sports Team faced a harrowing ordeal at the onset of their U.S. tour. The sextet, poised to perform across the United States this month, encountered misfortune before even gracing the stage. Their tour vehicle was burglarized at a Vallejo, California gas station on Tuesday morning.
They shared the unsettling episode on social media, including a terse narrative of the events that unfolded during a coffee stop. "Just been robbed at gunpoint 10 minutes into the US tour," they revealed.
The video clip accompanying the post depicts their van under siege, with someone urgently instructing to "get down" and "get inside" the Starbucks where the band had paused. The account continued: "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."
Cameras, laptops, in-ear monitors, and personal belongings were seized, as they informed Sky News. Luckily, the instruments remained secure, thanks to the reinforced back of the van. However, vocalist Alex Rice lamented the theft of passports belonging to three band members.
Following the incident, the group reported the break-in to law enforcement and were advised to "submit an online report." Undeterred by the ordeal, the band resolved to continue their tour. They stated, "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."
Reflecting on the incident, they noted the disheartening acceptance of such crimes: "In all seriousness pretty shocking how resigned everyone seemed to be to it. ‘It happens’. 9am at some petrol station Starbucks. Wild."
From California, lead guitarist Henry Young conveyed to CNN that the Sacramento performance proceeded as scheduled, despite the unsettling experience. He expressed gratitude for meeting fans familiar with their music from afar, as well as new supporters who rallied after hearing of the robbery.
Young recounted that his passport was retrieved from the roadside, though not all band members were as fortunate. "None of it is ideal 20 minutes into the tour," he remarked, maintaining a positive outlook for upcoming shows.
The band has enjoyed significant success, with two UK top 10 albums and a Mercury Prize nomination for 2020's "Deep Down Happy." Young, a former CNN sports writer, chronicled his journey from journalism to full-time musician, a transition sparked by an opportunity to tour Europe with Spanish band Hinds.
He reminisced about the less glamorous aspects of touring, recalling a previous incident akin to the current misfortune. "Waking up with banging headaches the morning after supporting Two Door Cinema Club at the O2 Arena, we found our van had been broken into in broad daylight and all our equipment stolen," he wrote. "And yet it’s all worth it.
