Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen 'violently attacked' outside Florida hotel
The one-armed drummer of rock band Def Leppard has been ‘violently attacked’ outside a hotel in Florida.
Rick Allen was staying at the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale while he was in town performing alongside fellow headliners Mötley Crüe at the Hard Rock Live gig on March 12.
As he popped out for a cigarette, he was reportedly set upon by a teenager who police say was hiding outside the hotel.
Max Edward Hartley is said to have rushed at the drummer, knocking him to the ground causing him to hit his head, according to a report from Fort Lauderdale Police.
When a female bystander tried to help, the 19-year-old allegedly attacked her too, hitting her multiple times and dragging her by the hair before running off.
Def Leppard's Rick Allen issues health update after violent attack outside hotel
Rick Allen of Def Leppard is one of the greatest drummers of all time (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)Hartley was later arrested after police found him at a nearby hotel breaking car windows.
The teenager, from Cleveland, Ohio, appeared to be on Spring Break in Florida at the time.
Allen, who was injured in the assault, has since provided a statement to police and said he wants Hartley prosecuted.
The teenager has been charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.
The Mirror have reached out to Allen and Def Leppard for further comment.
Rick tragically lost his left arm in a car accident when he was 21 (RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
Teenager Max Edward Hartley was arrested and charged over the attack (WSVN)Allen, now 59, tragically lost his left arm in a near fatal crash in England in 1984 when he was just 21.
He was driving his Corvette and trying to pass another car at high speed when he lost control and was thrown through the sunroof of his car.
His arm was severed from his body after it got caught in his seatbelt.
The limb was initially reattached, but was later amputated again after it became infected.
Although he didn’t think it at the time, Allen was able to continue playing the drums with the help of a specially designed drum kit.
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It paid off and he is now ranked as one of the greatest drummers of all time.
Fort Lauderdale Police's report (Fort Lauderdale Police Department)Recalling the dark time in his life where he feared he wouldn’t play again, Allen told Page Six : “I really didn’t want to be here.”
He said he felt “defeated, very awkward and very self-conscious” at first but with a “lot of encouragement” from family, friends and fans he “finally got it”.
“I got to a point where I realised 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,” he explained.
Since his accident Allen – who joined Def Leppard when he was just 15 – has set up The Raven Drum Foundation to help people dealing with PTSD use drumming as a tool for healing.
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