Def Leppard's Rick Allen Attacked by Teen Outside Florida Hotel
Allen was injured as a result of the unexpected assault.
English rock band Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen was attacked outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, on Monday.
While outside smoking, a teenager—who was "hiding behind a pole"—charged at the 59-year-old musician "at full run," causing Allen to fall and hit "his head on the ground causing injury," according to the police report from the March 13 incident.
The assailant was identified as Ohio-native Max Edward Hartley, 19, who was arrested and charged with two counts of battery and four counts of criminal mischief, in addition to abusing an elderly or disabled adult, as the drummer previously lost his arm in a 1984 car crash.
The police report, which was released Thursday, March 16, further details the disturbing occurrence.
Unfortunately, Allen wasn't the only one injured in the attack. An innocent bystander described as a woman who exited the hotel trying to help the drummer while he was on the ground, was also struck down and battered, being dragged along by her hair. Hartley, revealed by the Miami Herald as a "spring-breaker," allegedly then fled the area after the brutal assaults.
The 19-year-old attacker was arrested after attempting to break into the Wine Garden restaurant, and allegedly damaging numerous vehicles in a parking garage nearby. The suspect was bailed out of the Broward County Jail on Tuesday.
Following the situation, Allen provided a sworn statement to police, per the report, divulging that he wishes to prosecute.
Def Leppard was in town co-headlining a show with Mötley Crüe held the day before at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Florida, where Allen joined the American heavy metal band on stage to perform "Primal Scream" during Crüe's set, sharing drumming duties for the song with Tommy Lee.
