Def Leppard’s Rick Allen speaks on attack in Florida: “We are focusing on healing for everyone involved”
Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has broken his silence after he was attacked in Florida last week.
Allen was attacked outside the Four Seasons hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 13. A man rushed the 59-year-old drummer, causing him to fall to the ground and injure his head. A woman who attempted to help Allen was also attacked.
Police arrested 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley in the incident, who was charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing an “elderly or disabled adult”.
In a series of tweets posted yesterday (March 19), Allen thanked fans for their support and shared that his wife Lauren was not with him at the time of the attack. “We are together now, and working on recovering in a safe space,” he wrote.
“We are focusing on healing for everyone involved. 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, adding that the couple was thinking of the “fans, veterans, and first responders in our global community”.
(1/3) Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support. 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. pic.twitter.com/e8mIbSwFiu
— Rick Allen (@rickallenlive) March 19, 2023
(2/3) We are focusing on healing for everyone involved. 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.
— Rick Allen (@rickallenlive) March 19, 2023
(3/3) 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.
Rick Allen & Lauren Monroe
— Rick Allen (@rickallenlive) March 19, 2023
According to a Fox News report, police have released 911 calls from the night of Hartley’s arrest that raise suspicions that the 19-year-old was intoxicated during the assault. He was also reportedly seen damaging vehicles and attempting to break into a restaurant near the Four Seasons hotel.
Hartley’s lawyer Sam Halpern told the Miami Herald that Hartley had “never been in trouble with the law before”, but did not comment on what provoked his actions nor whether Allen’s role as Def Leppard drummer played any part in the incident.
Def Leppard were due to perform at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino alongside Mötley Crüe at the time of the incident. The two groups have announced a co-headline tour set to kick off in Syracuse, New York later this year on Saturday, August 5, and will take them to Columbus, Fargo, Omaha, Tulsa and El Paso.
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Scott Ng
NME
