Def Leppard’s Rick Allen Issues His First Statement After Violent Attack

Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen was reportedly violently attacked by a 19-year-old outside of his hotel in Fort Lauderdale last week. Neither Allen nor Def Leppard had made a statement about the incident until the drummer took to his personal Twitter account to inform fans about his well-being and thanked fans for the overwhelming support.

Allen was in Florida with the rest of the band as part of their ongoing co-headlining tour with Mötley Crüe. After the show ended, the drummer returned to his Four Seasons hotel. He briefly went out to the hotel’s valet area to smoke a cigarette when the 19-year-old Max Edward Hartley knocked the drummer to the ground, causing him to hit his head.

A woman who had witnessed the whole incident came out running to help when Hartley also attacked her, and when she tried to run, he dragged her by her hair and soon after fled the scene. The police later found Hartley vandalizing cars nearby and arrested him for two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.

Rick shared with fans that he was with his wife, Lauren, and they were trying to heal and mend from the incident. He also shared that amid shock and confusion, they have found empathy and compassion for people who have gone through similar acts of violence. The drummer also remembered to thank fans, veterans, and first responders for all they provide for communities worldwide.

Rick Allen’s words after the violent attack read:

“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.”

He added:

“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.

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.”

After the horrifying attack, the drummer gave a sworn statement to the police officials that he would prosecute his attacker. Despite the tragedy of the situation, the drummer seems to be in good company and headspace to overcome this challenging time.