Def Leppard’s one-armed drummer Rick Allen was tackled to the ground by a teen football player as he had a cigarette outside a Miami hotel, according to police.
Allen, known as “The Thunder God” by fans, was hanging out at the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale when 19-year-old Max Hartley ran at him at full-speed and tackled him, causing the drummer to hit his head on the ground, as News 7 Miami reports.
Hartley was said to be hiding behind a pillar outside the hotel before launching the alleged assault.
When a woman from the hotel came to help, the suspect attacked both of them before running away.
According to the report: “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.”
He was arrested outside a different hotel where he was found breaking car windows.
The suspect was charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abuse of an elderly or disabled adult.
Allen had his arm amputated after a serious car crash in 1985 but he continued to play the drums for the British rockers.
He was in south Florida to play a co-headline show with Mötley Crüe that took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel And Casino last Sunday.
Hartley refused to comment when asked if he was a Def Leppard fan after he was bailed from a police station.
The suspect said nothing to 7News cameras besides, “Stop,” as he held his arms up to shield his face, showing visible injuries on his elbows.
