Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
One-armed Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was attacked by an apparent stranger outside the Four Seasons hotel in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida on Monday. .
Max Edward Hartley, 19, an Ohio resident visiting Florida and believed to be on spring break, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault and battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing a an elderly or disabled adult.
According to a Fort Lauderdale police report, 59-year-old Allen was smoking a cigarette outside the hotel when Hartley, who was hiding behind a pole, charged at Allen ‘hard’ and knocked him down on the ground. . Allen hit his head on the sidewalk in the fall.
Police say a woman came out of the hotel to help Allen after seeing the incident and was also knocked to the ground by Hartley, who then grabbed the woman’s hair and dragged her inside. the hotel. Hartley was arrested after running to another nearby hotel, where he allegedly damaged a number of cars in a parking lot. After charges were filed, he posted bond and was released.
According to WSVN-TV in Fort Lauderdale, Allen provided a sworn statement to police and told them he wanted to prosecute.
No information on Allen’s condition has been released. Neither he nor the band have yet commented on the incident.
Def Leppard was in Florida for a concert on March 12 with Mötley Crüe at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Allen lost his arm in a car accident in 1984. He then relearned to play drums with just his right arm and two feet, using a bespoke kit, and remained Def’s drummer. Leppard since. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group has sold more than 35.5 million albums in the United States alone, including two certified Diamond 10 million sellers in Pyromania (1983) and Hysteria (1987).