Former Anthrax singer Dan Nelson charged with assaulting an elderly man

The post Former Anthrax singer Dan Nelson charged with assaulting an elderly man appeared first on Consequence of Sound.

Metal vocalist Dan Nelson, who fronted Anthrax for a brief time, has been arrested and charged with assault for an incident involving an elderly man.

According to Patch, the the 43-year-old Nelson got into an altercation with a 74-year-old man at the Aloft New York LaGuardia Airport Hotel in Queens, New York, on August 30th. The New York Post reports that the musician apparently punched the man in the face repeatedly and then fled the scene before police arrived.

An acquaintance of the alleged victim reported that Nelson became upset when the man asked him an undisclosed question. “He just goes bananas,” the witness recollected. “He knocked the old guy down.”

Nelson and his band apparently had a gig that night at the hotel’s performance space, with that same witness saying that Nelson seemed “off”, taking a long time to tune his guitar. The elderly victim was there to see his friend who was playing drums that night.

Upon turning himself in at the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights, Queens, this morning (September 11th), Nelson was charged with assault, assault with intent to cause physical injury, and harassment, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

The singer’s stint as Anthrax only lasted from late 2007 through mid 2009. He replaced Joey Belladonna, who had parted ways with the band for a second time.

Nelson, who has said he was fired from Anthrax, was then replaced by another of the band’s former singers, John Bush, for a few gigs in 2009 and 2010. Eventually, Belladonna rejoined the band and has remained with the legendary thrash metal group ever since.

While Nelson never appeared on an Anthrax album, he has songwriting credits on 2011’s Worship Music. He also sued the band for $2.65 million, claiming he was owed profits from Worship Music and that Anthrax defamed him by saying he abruptly resigned from the band after becoming ill. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount.

Former Anthrax singer Dan Nelson charged with assaulting an elderly man
Spencer Kaufman

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