English Rock Band Says Robbed at Gunpoint Upon Arrival in California

A Vallejo Police Department corporal goes over paperwork in his patrol car as he gets ready to patrol the streets in Vallejo, Calif., on May 7, 2008. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

An indie rock band from London reported on social media that it was robbed at gunpoint in front of a Starbucks and gas station at 9 a.m. on Dec. 3, just minutes after arriving in the San Francisco Bay area.

The incident allegedly happened at the Starbucks Convenience Center at 199 Lincoln Road West in Vallejo, just off Highway 80 about 45 miles north of the San Francisco International Airport, according to Vallejo Police Department Sgt. Rashad Hollis.

The suspects took personal belongings but left the band’s instruments, according to the group called Sports Team.

“They can take our Nintendo Switches, but they can never take our ability to play rock songs about motorways,” the band wrote.

According to the band’s posting, the group stopped for coffee about 10 minutes after arriving in the area.

While they were ordering coffee at Starbucks, they said a man ran inside to tell them some guys were breaking into the van.

“Ran out to try to stop and find masked guys ransacking the van,” the band reported.

When they shouted at them to stop, the suspects pulled out a gun, according to the band.

In a video posted on social media Tuesday morning, one of the members can be heard yelling “Get down!” to his bandmates and then pleading for someone inside the convenience store to “ring the police!”

The band members can also be heard talking about the robbers taking a “bag” and a laptop.

The London-based English alternative rock band is on tour on the West Coast with lead vocalist Alex Rice and rhythm guitarist and vocalist Rob Knaggs.

The group have a concert date Tuesday in Sacramento, which they said they plan to keep.

Vallejo Police officers work at the scene of a shooting in Vallejo, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2016. Two Northern California police officers who were taking a break at a coffee shop were targeted in an ambush that was foiled when the shooter's gun malfunctioned, a police chief said. Chris Preovolos/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

The band shared the video on social media platform X Tuesday afternoon. In the post, the band described losing “a lot of personal gear, but they didn’t get the instruments so driving on to Sacramento to play tonight.”

Locals at the scene were apparently not surprised, according to the group.

“In all seriousness pretty shocking how resigned everyone seemed to be to it,” the band wrote. “It happens 9 a.m. at some petrol station Starbucks. Wild.”

Police were called but allegedly told the band to “submit an online report,” though that might have been the result of a miscommunication between the 911 caller and band members who posted on social media.

The Vallejo Police Department explained that the person who called 911 was asked multiple times by the dispatcher if the suspects were armed and if a gun was pointed at anyone, and the caller said they were not sure.

“No one was able to confirm there was a firearm,” Hollis told The Epoch Times. “So, based off of what was reported as a smash-and-dash—that’s a vehicle burglary. No life was in imminent danger.”

Vehicle burglaries usually require victims to file an online report, according to Hollis.

To complicate matters, the Vallejo police department responded to another call right after the alleged vehicle break-in. The second call involved a barricaded suspect wanted for assault with a deadly weapon that required a SWAT response, which drained the department’s resources. That call didn’t end until 3 a.m. Wednesday, Hollis said.

Sports Team’s next show is set for Dec. 7 in San Francisco, followed by two others.