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Def Leppard's Rick Allen was brutally attacked outside of the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The band was in town to perform at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino as part of their co-headlining tour with Mötley Crüe, and the assault reportedly took place while the drummer was outside smoking a cigarette. According to a police report obtained by The Daily Mail, 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley was hiding behind a pillar and rushed at Allen, knocking him to the ground. The fall caused the 59-year-old to hit his head, causing injury. A woman tried to intervene, but Hartley violently attacked her too — hitting her multiple times and dragging her by the hair before fleeing the scene.
"While she is on the ground, the defendant continues to batter her by striking her. [She] attempts to escape by running into the hotel," the report stated. "The defendant then grabs [her] by her hair and drags her out of the lobby and back onto the sidewalk before fleeing the area."
Hartley was later arrested after police found him outside another hotel breaking car windows. The teen, who's originally from Ohio and was visiting Florida on spring break, was taken to Broward County Jail on Tuesday (March 14) and charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult (Allen tragically lost an arm in a car accident in 1984). When asked by 7 News Miami if he was a Def Leppard fan, Hartley declined to comment.
Def Leppard's next tour date is May 22 in their hometown of Sheffield, England. This summer, they plan to return to the States for a North American tour with Mötley Crüe and Alice Cooper.