Rick Allen, one of the best drummers there are, who has played with Def Leppard for over 35 years, has been viciously attacked by an intoxicated 19-year-old man named Max Hartley. The incident took place in front of the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 13.
As Allen was standing in front of the hotel, Hartley rushed towards him, hit him in the head, and knocked him on the ground.
Witnessing Allan being attacked, an unnamed woman tried to intervene, but Hartley then turned towards her and started pulling her by her hair. When she fell on the ground, he continued attacking and hitting her. In attempt to save herself, she ran towards a hotel, while the attacker went to the nearby parking garage and started damaging vehicle.
Eventually, he was caught by the police.
That night, several people called 911 in order to report the incident, and judging from the police tapes, the night was a chaotic one.
In one of the calls, a person is heard saying, ”Apparently a guest, some guy assaulted her and was actually beating her up in front of the front of our building,” while another person reported: ”Send the police here right now!…I’m sitting on a f—–g suspect.”
As expected, Allan’s fans were worried for the drummer and sent their well-wishes. He then broke his silence regarding the attack and wrote on the social media, thanking everyone for their concerns.
“Your love and prayers are truly helping. My wife Lauren was thankfully not with me at the time of the incident. We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space,” he wrote.
The legendary drummer was in Florida for a performance at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Back in 1984, Allan lost his arm but continued to play the drums, although he needed to re-teach himself how to do it with just one arm.
The Thunder God, as he’s called by his fans, spoke of the time he lost his arms and said, “They wanted to re-attach it, but an infection set in, and because it was so close to my heart, they didn’t risk it. Looking back, the doctor told me that if the re-attachment had been successful, I would have been going back for operation after operation. I wouldn’t have wanted to go through that. I suffered enough pain, both physically and mentally.”
As he has been through a lot in his life, the recent attack took a heavy toll on him.
”We are focusing on healing for everyone involved,” Allen said on Facebook.
”We ask you to join us in our effort to move from confusion and shock to compassion and empathy. We understand this act of violence can be triggering for so many people.”
As of the attacker, Harley, he’s been charged with four counts of criminal mischief. His lawyer claimed that his client has never had trouble with the law in the past.
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