On Tuesday morning around 9 a.m., a London-based independent rock band reported on social media that they were robbed at gunpoint shortly after arriving in the San Francisco area, in front of a Starbucks and gas station.
The Vallejo Police Department stated that the incident occurred at the Starbucks convenience center in the city (located at 199 Lincoln Road West), about 45 miles from San Francisco International Airport and along Highway 80.
The band called “Sports Team” mentioned that the suspect stole their personal belongings but left their musical instruments behind.
According to the band’s post, they stopped for coffee about 10 minutes after arriving in the area.
While they were ordering coffee at Starbucks, a man ran in and informed them that someone had broken into their van.
The band reported, “We ran out to stop them, only to find masked men ransacking our vehicle.” They immediately shouted at the robbers to stop, but to their surprise, one of them pulled out a gun.
In a later social media video, one of the band members can be heard yelling “Get down!” to others and then pleading with people in the convenience store to “call the police!”
The band member also mentioned that the robber took a “bag” and a laptop.
This British alternative rock band from London is currently on a tour of the US West Coast and had a performance in Sacramento on Tuesday.
Later that day, the band shared the video on social media platform X. In the post, the band mentioned losing “a lot of personal gear, but they (the robbers) didn’t take the instruments, so the band will continue driving to Sacramento for tonight’s show.”
According to the band, locals at the scene seemed unsurprised by the incident: “Honestly, everyone seemed quite resigned to it.” “This happened at 9 am, right outside a Starbucks at some gas station. It’s insane.”
They also mentioned that the police, after receiving the report, asked the band to “submit an online report.”
The Vallejo Police Department explained that the 911 caller was asked multiple times by dispatchers if the suspect was armed and if a gun was pointed at anyone, to which the caller expressed uncertainty.
Officer Rashad Hollis of the department told the media, “No one can confirm the presence of a firearm at the scene. Therefore, based on the reported circumstances, (dispatch) believed it was a quick theft incident involving breaking into a vehicle and did not pose an immediate threat to life.” He stated that vehicle thefts usually require victims to submit reports online.
Adding to the complexity, just after receiving the report of the band’s vehicle being broken into, the Vallejo Police Department received another report involving a suspect wanted for a deadly weapon attack, requiring the intervention of the SWAT team and stretching the department’s resources. Hollis mentioned that the second incident was not resolved until 3 a.m. on Wednesday.
The next performance of “Sports Team” is scheduled for December 7 in San Francisco, followed by two more shows.