New details are emerging after a brutal attack on drummer Def Leppard in Florida.
Rick Allen, the drummer of the legendary rock band Def Leppard, was attacked near the hotel where he was staying after a concert in South Florida. Last weekend, the 59-year-old musician was in South Florida to give a concert at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, where Def Leppard was one of the headliners along with Mötley Crüe.
Allen, who lost his arm in a car accident in 1984, was standing outside the Four Seasons Hotel in the service area and smoking. According to the Fort Lauderdale police report, he was then brutally attacked by 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley, who came from Ohio.
Authorities said Hartley hid behind a pillar outside the hotel while Allen smoked a cigarette. He ran at full speed at the drummer, knocking him to the ground. The report states that Allen “hit his head on the ground, causing injury.” The woman who witnessed the attack ran out of the hotel to help Allen, where Hartley also attacked her.
Hartley was soon arrested at another hotel for allegedly smashing car windows. He was charged with two counts of battery, four counts of causing harm and ill-treatment of an elderly or disabled person.
Hartley reportedly posted bail on Tuesday and was released from Broward County Jail. A news photographer is said to have asked him why he attacked a man with one hand and whether he knew that the man was a Def Leppard drummer, to which Hartley did not respond.
Allen, who suffered a head injury in the attack, reportedly testified under oath and told police he intended to press charges. Def Leppard has not yet commented on Allen’s condition or the incident.
The concert in Florida was the last one before the break in the band’s touring schedule. Their next performance is scheduled for May 22 in Sheffield, England.
