Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen suffered a head injury after being ambushed by a teenager outside the Four seasons hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Allen, 59, and Def Leppard were in Florida performing a date of their co-headline tour with Mötley Crüe at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, and Leppard were staying at the Four Seasons.
According to TMZ, who obtained a copy of the suspect’s arrest report, Rick Allen was smoking a cigarette outside the hotel, when Hartley, who was hiding behind a pillar ran at speed towards Allen, struck him and knocked him backwards causing his head to hit the ground and, according to the report “causing injury”.
In the meantime, a woman came to Allen’s help before the suspect turned on her, knocking her down and dragging her by the hair as she tried to re-enter the hotel in order to get away from the attacker.
The suspect then fled the scene for another hotel where police caught up with him. Hartley was arrested and charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.
After being charged, he was taken to Broward County Jail and later released on bail. 19-year-old Hartley, an Ohio resident, is believed to have been in the area on a visit for Spring Break. Following his release, he declined to comment when approached by 7NEWS, who asked “Are you a Def Leppard fan?”
Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe’s The World Tour will be heading to Europe this summer, with the first dates kicking off in Def Leppard’s native Sheffield on May 22. For a full list of dates, visit the Def Leppard website.
Meanwhile, Def Leppard are preparing to release Drastic Symphonies (out May 19), a double-album featuring reimagined versions of Leppard tunes performed alongside the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Click here to pre-order.
