Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has suffered a head injury after a 19-year-old allegedly attacked him outside his Florida hotel over the weekend.
Max Edward Hartley, an Ohio resident vacationing in Fort Lauderdale, was hiding behind a pillar before sprinting toward the 59-year-old drummer, according to a Fort Lauderdale police report cited by the daily mail. Allen only has one arm due to a car accident on New Year’s Eve in 1984.
Allen was standing near the valet area of the Four Seasons Hotel, smoking a cigarette, when he was struck. He was tackled to the ground and his head hit the concrete, “causing injuries,” according to the police report.
A woman ran out of the hotel to help the musician, but then Hartley allegedly turned on her and attacked her as she tried to run inside. According to police, Hartley “continued to beat her” while she was on the ground. He then grabbed her hair and dragged her from the hallway to the sidewalk before fleeing the area, according to the report.
Supposedly, Hartley was watching the musician before he assaulted him. The 19-year-old was arrested shortly after the attack near the Conrad Hotel, where he damaged several vehicles in the parking lot. Allen provided a statement to police and requested prosecution.
Hartley was charged with two counts of assault, four counts of delinquent misconduct and one count of abuse of an elderly or disabled adult.
Allen was staying in the Fort Lauderdale area to appear at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Sunday. Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe are in the midst of their 2023 world tour, which began last month and will conclude in August.
