Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was assaulted by a 19-year-old outside his hotel in Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fla., on Monday, according to police reports. The incident occurred while Allen was smoking at valet and the teenager, who was “hiding behind a pole,” charged at him at full run. The drummer fell, hitting his head on the ground causing injury, the report said.
Max Edward Hartley was arrested and charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult. Allen, who lost his left arm in a car accident in 1984, was in town as Def Leppard co-headlined a show with Mötley Crüe on Sunday.
The police report details the shocking incident. While Allen was on the ground, a woman came out from the hotel to try and help. Hartley allegedly attacked her, knocking her down and striking her. When the woman attempted to escape by running into the hotel, the suspect is accused of dragging her by her hair back outside. He then fled the area.
Hartley was arrested after he went to a nearby hotel and allegedly damaged numerous vehicles in a parking garage. The suspect was bailed out of the Broward County Jail on Tuesday, but Allen provided a sworn statement to police and told them that he wants to prosecute.
There has been no comment from the band’s representative as of yet, and Allen’s health status is unknown to the public. News of the assault has sparked outrage among fans and the music community, who have expressed their support for the drummer and their anger towards the attacker.
Assaults on musicians and other public figures are not uncommon, but the severity of this case and the fact that it was done to someone with a disability has particularly shocked many people. It is hoped that justice will be served, and that Allen can be left to recover in peace while the legal process runs its course.
