Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen says he was attacked outside Florida hotel in March

May 22, 2023, 7:44 AM

FILE - Rick Allen, of Def Leppard, arrives at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at th...

FILE - Rick Allen, of Def Leppard, arrives at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Barclays Center on March 29, 2019, in New York. Allen says he was blindsided by an attack on him outside a South Florida hotel following a concert earlier this year. “I heard a couple of steps and then I just saw this [flash] and the next thing I knew was I was on the ground,” Allen, 59, told ABC's “Good Morning America” in an interview broadcast Monday, May 22, 2023. “I landed on my backside… hit my head on the pavement.” (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen says he was blindsided during an attack on him outside a South Florida hotel following a concert earlier this year.

“I heard a couple of steps and then I just saw this (flash) and the next thing I knew was I was on the ground,” Allen, 59, told ABC’s “ Good Morning America ” in an interview broadcast Monday. “I landed on my backside — hit my head on the pavement.”

Def Leppard was in Fort Lauderdale to perform at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino when he was attacked March 13 while taking a smoke break outside a hotel.

Police arrested Max Hartley, a 19-year-old from Avon, Ohio, who has pleaded not guilty to two counts of battery and four counts of criminal mischief, according to court records. Police said they haven’t determined a motive.

“I don’t think he knew who I was, but he must have seen that I wasn’t a threat because, you know, I’ve only got one arm,” said Allen, who lost his left arm in a car accident in 1984.

According to the police report, Hartley was hiding behind a pillar outside the hotel and then ran at Allen, knocking him to the ground. He also attacked a woman tried to help Allen, but she wasn’t seriously injured.

Hartley then ran to another hotel and started breaking car windows until he was stopped by witnesses and police arrived, police said.

Hartley’s lawyer, Kevin Gardiner, didn’t immediately reply to an email Monday seeking comment about the case.

Allen’s head struck the ground during the attack, and he and his wife, Lauren Monroe, told “Good Morning America” that they’ve been focusing on his recovery.

“My heart just completely sank into me. I know the journey of trauma. Everything stopped in our house and focused on him,” Monroe said.

The couple created the Raven Drum Foundation to help survivors of trauma, especially veterans and first responders, in 2001.

Allen and his bandmates performed Friday at a small venue in their hometown of Sheffield, England, on Friday before kicking off their European tour.

“I know that I’m not going to be playing music in a band forever,” said Allen. “But while I am, I plan on making as many people happy as I possibly can. And this is my time. This is my opportunity.”

United States News

Migrants get help with the CBPOne app from a Tijuana, Mexico city worker Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, in...

Associated Press

CBP One app assists asylum-seekers after end of Title 42

More than 79,000 people were admitted under CBP One from its Jan. 12 launch through the end of April.

16 hours ago

Associated Press

3 wounded in shooting in Texas strip club parking lot, gunman killed

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — A man wounded three people when he opened fire in the parking lot of a Texas strip club early Sunday before being fatally shot by the club’s armed security, authorities said. The man opened fire in the direction of people in the parking lot after being asked to leave following […]

16 hours ago

Associated Press

Man in police custody falls to death after breaking California hospital window with oxygen tank

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — A man in police custody died Thursday in Northern California after he broke a hospital’s window with a metal oxygen tank and fell off a ledge following an altercation with an officer and a nurse, authorities said. The man was in custody because he had allegedly violated a court order, […]

16 hours ago

Associated Press

South Carolina group to ask Supreme Court to rename landmark school desegregation case

SUMMERTON, S.C. (AP) — Civil rights leaders in South Carolina plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to rename the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision that outlawed segregation of public schools across the country. Over the next three months, a group representing past plaintiffs and their descendants plans to file paperwork asking the […]

16 hours ago

Associated Press

Debt ceiling agreement gets thumbs up from biz groups, jeers from some on political right

WASHINGTON (AP) — The reviews are starting to come in as details emerge about the debt ceiling agreement reached by President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Already, some lawmakers are criticizing the deal as not doing enough to tackle the nation’s debt, while others worry it’s too austere and will harm many low-income […]

16 hours ago

Associated Press

Police: 3 killed in shootout involving outlaw biker gangs at New Mexico motorcycle rally

RED RIVER, N.M. (AP) — Three men killed in a weekend shootout at a New Mexico motorcycle rally were members of rival outlaw biker gangs, and the violence stemmed from a previous altercation between them in Albuquerque, authorities said Sunday. New Mexico State Police said three other bikers are facing charges and two of them […]

16 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

(Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona Photo)...

Desert Institute for Spine Care in Arizona

5 common causes for chronic neck pain

Neck pain can debilitate one’s daily routine, yet 80% of people experience it in their lives and 20%-50% deal with it annually.

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...

Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.

...

Day & Night Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

Company looking for oldest air conditioner and wants to reward homeowner with new one

Does your air conditioner make weird noises or a burning smell when it starts? If so, you may be due for an AC unit replacement.

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen says he was attacked outside Florida hotel in March