Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen sustained a head injury in an unprovoked attack by a teenaged tourist.
The incident took place outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to an arrest report.
Allen was standing in the valet area smoking when the alleged attacker, 19-year-old Max Hartley, approached him from behind a pole. Hartley ran "full speed" toward Allen and struck him, according to the arrest report, which noted that the musician fell backward and hit his head on the ground.
Hartley, who was visiting from Ohio, also attacked a woman who came outside to help Allen, grabbing her by her hair and dragging her out of the hotel's lobby after she tried to run back inside, the arrest report stated.
Hartley fled but was later arrested when police found him breaking car windows in a nearby parking lot. He was charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult, according to the report.
Hartley was bailed out of the Broward County Jail on Tuesday.
According to the arrest report, Allen provided a sworn statement to police saying he wants to prosecute Hartley.
Allen lost his left arm in a near-fatal crash in 1984 and had to relearn how to play the drums. He talked about the aftermath of the crash in an interview with Page Six in November.
"A lot of my peers, a lot of fans, my family … a lot of encouragement, they all tried to help lift me up and then finally I got it," Allen said. "I got to a point where I realized I can do this. … It wasn't until after the fact that I discovered the power of the human spirit and that's what really propelled me to where I am now."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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