Flock of Seagulls Van Found Empty (It Was Parked In Disabled Bay, Just Saying)
By Michael West in Music / Festivals on 24 July 2013
Flock of Seagulls can take confidence from a similiar robbery in 1999.
A van belonging to the Liverpool band A Flock of Seagulls which was stolen from a Comfort Inn on Sunday (July 28, 2013) has been recovered, minus the $70,000 of musical equipment inside. The vehicle was found empty in Santa Fe Springs this week, according to an officer at the Whittier Police Department who spoke with the Long Island Press-Telegram.
The van was stolen from the hotel parking lot in Downey after the band slept following their gig in Bellflower. A surveillance video from the scene appears to show the van parked in a disabled bay.
It was recovered in the 9100 block of Millergrove Drive, according to a news photographer in Santa Fe Springs. A Whittier police officer spotted the suspicious vehicle that matched the description of the one stolen from the British rockers, and ran the plates.
The van contained a hand-built guitar and other customized guitars, according to Seagull front-man Mike Score, who also had his new solo album taken by the thieves. Often, criminals find it hard to get rid of stolen band equipment owing to his recognisability, though it is feared that the instruments belonging to A Flock of Seagulls are obscure enough to be sold on.
The surveillance video shows a black car entering the parking lot. A man gets out, opens the band's van and drives away, as the other car follows behind.
Watch the Flock of Seagulls van being stolen:
There is hope for A Flock of Seagulls. On the morning of July 4, 1999, a truck holding a massive collection of Sonic Youth's musical equipment was stolen in Orange County, California. The vehicle was recovered several days in Los Angeles - minus the equipment. Over the years, fans the of legendary group remained on the lookout and managed to recover most of the instruments. After 13 years, the sixth and seventh guitars were found, both reappearing within the same week.
One, a white Jazzmaster, was used by Thurston Moore on songs including 'Dirty Boots' and 'Diamond Sea.'
Sonic Youth Had Its Van Stolen In 1999, Though Recovered Many of the Instruments
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