Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen speaks out after being beaten up by Fort Lauderdale spring breaker
Def Leppard’s one-armed drummer has spoken out following an alleged attack on him by a 19-year-old Florida spring-breaker last week.
Rick Allen, 59, posted a statement on Instagram in which he thanked everyone for their support while appearing to forgive the alleged perpetrator.
Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. Your love and prayers are really 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. We are focusing on healing for everyone involved,’ Allen wrote in a posting to social media, along with a selfie on Sunday night.
‘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,’ he continued.
‘To all of the fans, veterans, and first responders in our global community we are thinking of you all. Together with love, we can all get through these difficult times,’ Allen added.
Allen did not refer to his alleged assailant by name at any time.
Def Leppard’s one-armed drummer, Rick Allen, 59, is speaking out following an alleged attack on him by a 19-year-old Florida spring-breaker last week
Allen posted a statement on Instagram in which he thanked everyone for their support while appearing to forgive the alleged perpetrator.
Max Edward Hartley, 19, has been arrested after attacking the Def Leppard drummer
Police believe that it was 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley who carried out the beating.
An arrest report details how Hartley is accused of knocking Allen to the ground before going on to attack another woman nearby.
Hartley was booked on charges of battery for the alleged assault.
Allen had been in Florida to perform a show with his band at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and was staying at the Four Seasons hotel.
He had stepped outside for a cigarette when the violent attack occurred.
A police report from Fort Lauderdale Police said Hartley, from Ohio, was hiding behind a pillar outside the hotel before he rushed at the drummer and knocked him to the ground – causing him to hit his head.
The teenager who assaulted one-armed Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen (pictured right) outside the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale also attacked his wife Lauren Monroe (pictured left) and allegedly dragged her by the hair.
After knocking Allen to the ground, Hartley then allegedly attacked wife, Monroe, hitting her multiple times and dragging her by her hair before fleeing the area.
Allen, who sadly lost his arm in a car accident back in 1984, provided a sworn statement to police and told them he wanted Hartley to be prosecuted.
Authorities confirmed that Allen ‘hit his head on the ground causing injury’, with a woman – now said to be his wife Lauren Monroe, a singer – rushing out of the hotel to help him.
But Hartley then allegedly attacked Monroe, hitting her multiple times and dragging her by her hair before fleeing the area.
The report said: ‘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 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 being found by officers at a nearby hotel breaking car windows.
Hartley played Varsity Lacrosse and Football at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland and was on vacation from school.
Rick Allen, 59, was in Florida to perform a show with the band at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino over the weekend – co-headlining with Mötley Crüe.
He had been staying at the Four Seasons and had gone outside for a cigarette when he was allegedly violently attacked by Max Edward Hartley, 19, pictured with his mother
Hartley then attacked a woman who rushed out to help Allen, hitting her multiple times and dragging her by her hair before fleeing the area.
A police report from Fort Lauderdale Police said Hartley, from Ohio, was hiding behind a pillar outside the hotel before he rushed at the drummer and knocked him to the ground – causing him to hit his head
Authorities confirmed that Allen ‘hit his head on the ground causing injury’, with a woman rushing out of the hotel to help him.
He declined to comment when approached by a local news crew and was asked, ‘Are you a Def Leppard fan’
Hartley was arrested and taken to Broward County Jail on Tuesday after being charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.
Hartley, who played Varsity Lacrosse and Football at Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, appeared to be on spring break in Florida at the time of the attack.
He held his arms up to cover his face and showed injuries on his elbows – but declined to comment if he knew who Allen was.
Hartley grew up in a $670,000 mansion in Cleveland, Ohio, with his parents and an older and younger brother.
Hartley was arrested and taken to Broward County Jail last Tuesday after being charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.
He declined to comment when approached by a local television news crew and instead held his arms up to cover his face and showed injuries on his elbows.
The band is currently on their World Tour, and will next appear in their hometown of Sheffield at Bramall Lane on May 22.
After a European leg, the band is scheduled to return to the United States for a series of shows in August.
The band are currently on their World Tour, and will next appear in their hometown of Sheffield at Bramall Lane on May 22