Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen suffered a head injury after a 19-year-old spring breaker 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 he ran full speed toward the 59-year-old drummer, according to a Fort Lauderdale police report cited by the Daily Mail. Allen has only one arm due to a New Year’s Eve car accident in 1984.
Allen was standing near the valet area of the Four Seasons Hotel, smoking a cigarette, when he suffered the blow. He was knocked to the ground, and his head hit the cement, “causing injury,” the police report said.
A woman came running from the hotel to help the musician, but then Hartley allegedly turned on her, attacking her as she attempted to run back inside. According to police, Hartley “continued to batter her” while she was on the ground. He then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her from the lobby to the sidewalk before he fled the area, the report said.
Hartley was allegedly 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 garage. Allen provided a statement to police and requested prosecution.
Hartley was charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and a count of abusing an elderly or disabled adult.
Allen was staying in the Fort Lauderdale area to perform at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Sunday. Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe are in the midst of their World Tour 2023, which began last month and will conclude in August.
