A 19-year-old has been charged with violent assault against Def Leppard's drummer Rick Allen.
The assault happened over the weekend after the band was in Florida to perform as part of their tour co-headlining with Mötley Crüe.
One armed drummer Rick Allen was having a cigarette outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale when he was attacked by 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley.
The teenager, from Ohio, reportedly rushed out from behind a pillar where he'd been hiding and knocked the musician to the floor.
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Hartley has subsequently been arrested and bailed for the assault, with Allen giving a sworn statement to the police and pushing them to make a prosecution.
Allen, who lost his arm in a car accident in 1984, is reported to have hit his head on the ground during the assault.
A woman nearby who rushed to help was also reported to have been hurt by Hartley as he allegedly hit her and dragged her by her hair.
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A report from authorities states: "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."
Police officers arrested Hartley in a nearby hotel parking lot where he was found breaking car windows.
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Hartley, a member of both the Varsity and Football teams for Ohio's Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, was in Florida for Spring Break at the time of the attack.
Hartley was arrested and taken to Broward County Jail on Tuesday. He has subsequently been charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.
When approached by 7News and asked: "Are you a Def Leppard fan?", Hartley declined to comment. The teen instead covered his face with his arms, showing grazes and injury to his elbows believed to be sustained in the attack.
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Def Leppard are still continuing on their World Tour, and will next appear in their hometown of Sheffield at Bramall Lane on May 22 this year.
Last year the tour covered North America, selling out stadiums across the states for the tour alongside Mötley Crüe with the long-awaited tour selling over 1.3 million tickets worldwide.
UNILAD has approached a representative of Rick Allen for comment.
Topics: Music, World News, Crime
Niamh Spence