Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen attacked outside Florida hotel, reports say
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 16: Rick Allen of Def Leppard performs onstage during The Stadium Tour at Truist Park on June 16, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was assaulted by a teenager outside a hotel in South Florida last week, according to media reports.
Allen was in town to perform a show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and was staying at the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale Beach, according to WSVN and TMZ.
According to the Fort Lauderdale Police arrest report, obtained by FOX 35, Allen – who is not mentioned by name in the report – was in the valet area of the hotel smoking a cigarette when a 19-year-old man, identified as Max Hartley, ran at him at full speed and struck him, knocking Allen backwards, causing him to hit his head.
A woman ran to help Allen and was then attacked by Hartley. The report said Hartley knocked the woman to the ground and as she was on the ground, continued to hit her. Hartley also dragged her by her hair, according to the police report.
Police found Hartley in the parking garage of a nearby hotel damaging multiple cars, according to the report. He was arrested and booked into jail on multiple counts of battery, criminal mischief, and neglect/abuse of an elderly adult.
While Allen is not mentioned by name in the report, it does mention that he is disabled, has one arm, and was injured in a traffic accident in 1984. Allen joined Def Leppard when he was 15 and famously lost his arm in a car crash on New Year's Eve in 1984.
The report said the victim provided a sworn statement to police and expressed a desire for prosecution.
As of Thursday afternoon, Allen nor Def Leppard had released a statement about the incident.
WSVN, the FOX affiliate in Miami, said Hartley posted bond and was released from jail on Wednesday. He did not respond to a photographer's questions about the alleged incident moments after he was released from jail.