British indie band Sports Team robbed at gunpoint while on tour in US

British indie set Sports Team has been “robbed astatine gunpoint” by masked men portion connected circuit successful the US.

The London-based band’s van containig invaluable instrumentality was “ransacked” arsenic they stopped to get meal astatine a petrol presumption Starbucks astir 9am connected Tuesday, successful Vallejo, successful California’s San Francisco Bay Area.

On Instagram, they told however they were conscionable “10 minutes into” their circuit - which is to beforehand their forthcoming medium Boys These Days - erstwhile the equipped thieves struck.

Taking screen inside, the set were forced to ticker connected arsenic the thieves took “a batch of idiosyncratic gear” including their passports and documents, movie cameras, laptops utilized connected stage, and suitcases containing each their clothing.

Their instruments, which were locked successful a abstracted portion of the van, were not taken.

Warning: The beneath video contains beardown language

Sharing a video of the robbery connected Instagram, the set said: “Stopped for coffee. Man runs successful saying immoderate guys are smashing into a van. Ran retired to effort to halt it and find masked guys ransacking the van.

“Start yelling and they propulsion retired a gun.

“Lost a batch of idiosyncratic gear, but they didn’t get the instruments truthful driving connected to Sacramento to play tonight. They tin instrumentality our Nintendo Switches but they tin ne'er instrumentality our quality to play stone songs astir motorways.

“In each seriousness beauteous shocking however resigned everyone seemed to beryllium to it. ‘It happens’. 9am astatine immoderate petrol presumption Starbucks. Wild.”

The set said they reported the robbery to police, and were advised to taxable an online report.

Drummer Al Greenwood told the BBC she feared their set manager was going to beryllium shot.

“Somebody opened the doorway and was like, does anybody person a achromatic Sprinter van? Because you're being robbed close now.

"So we each ran out, shouting. Lauren, our circuit manager, was somewhat up of me, and idiosyncratic other ran past america successful the other direction, and said, 'Careful, he's holding something.'

"I truly thought I was astir to ticker idiosyncratic get shot, due to the fact that it took a portion for our circuit manager to realise. In the video, you tin perceive maine screaming astatine her to get down."

While the thieves chiefly targeted electronics, Greenwood besides mislaid her diary successful the incident. “I cognize it sounds ridiculous, but that's astir the worst part,” she told the BBC.

But she added: “We're decidedly not going to fto this enactment america off. Ultimately, it truly makes you bespeak connected things to beryllium grateful for, some present and astatine home.”

The set said they were thrown by however Americans astir them reacted arsenic though it was “a precise mundane occurrence”.

“The happening that struck maine astir it was the resignation,” pb vocalist Alex Rice told the BBC. “The radical astir america weren't precise panicked astatine all...They started serving drinks consecutive away.”

"We've got thing against the Bay Area,” helium added. “We deliberation it's large present - but it's bittersweet that it's benignant of got to this benignant of spot with weapon violence."

The band, known for their guitar popular music, is touring the US until mid-December, playing locations including LA, San Diego, Portland and Palm Springs.

The six-piece met portion students astatine Homerton College, Cambridge, and primitively hail from parts of the UK including Cheshire, Kent, Leeds and Cornwall.