Welcome to USA: English rock band robbed at gunpoint in California | World News

An English alternative rock band was held at gunpoint and robbed on the first day of its US tour in California, with the alarming incident captured on video.
Sports Team, celebrated for achieving two top 10 albums in the U.K., was travelling to Sacramento, California, when their tour van was targeted in Vallejo. According to the BBC, the band lost passports, personal items, and essential stage equipment during the robbery.
Footage shared on Instagram shows the band’s tour manager confronted by a man brandishing a gun at approximately 8:45 a.m. as she approached their Sprinter van.
Frontman Alex Rice told the BBC that the natural reaction when faced with a gun is to seek cover, but what stood out to him was the lack of panic from those around them, which made the incident feel disturbingly routine.
The band had stopped at a Starbucks for breakfast when they were informed that their van was being robbed.
Drummer Al Greenwood recalled that someone entered the café and asked if anyone owned a white Sprinter van, alerting them that it was being robbed. He said the band immediately ran out, shouting, with their tour manager, Lauren, slightly ahead. Greenwood added that another person running in the opposite direction warned them to be cautious because the robber appeared to be armed.
In the video, the man can be heard shouting at the tour manager to get down, while another band member filmed the incident from inside the Starbucks. Staff at the café reportedly advised patrons to stay indoors and off the street.
Greenwood noted that the experience felt surreal, especially as the Starbucks staff resumed their work as though nothing had happened. Rice echoed this sentiment, saying it was disorienting to see them serve drinks immediately after the incident.
The local police department has yet to respond to inquiries about the robbery.
Despite the ordeal, the band assured fans that their tour would continue as planned, joking on Instagram that while the robbers could take their Nintendo Switches, they could never take away their ability to perform songs about motorways.

Gun Violence in the United States: A Stark Reality

This incident casts a harsh light on the widespread issue of gun violence in the United States, where firearm-related crimes remain disturbingly frequent. The country continues to experience some of the highest rates of gun violence among developed nations, with incidents ranging from armed robberies to tragic mass shootings.
For many, such events have become an unsettling normality, as underscored by the band’s observation of the casual reaction of bystanders and café staff during the robbery. The resigned acceptance of such violence highlights the deeply ingrained nature of the problem.
While the debate over stricter gun control laws persists, incidents like this serve as a reminder of the urgent need for comprehensive action to address the epidemic of gun violence. For visitors like Sports Team, this reality is a stark contrast to their own experiences in the U.K., where such incidents are far less common.