Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen claims he is recovering following an attack outside a Florida hotel earlier this month.
Allen, 59, was in South Florida for a performance at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino when he was attacked while smoking outside the Four Seasons hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach.
Authorities detained a 19-year-old male but claimed they didn’t know why he attacked. In the police report, neither the suspect nor Allen was identified.
Yet, Allen expressed gratitude to his supporters in a March 19 social media message. He also said he’s relieved that his wife, Lauren, was not present at the time of the incident and that they are now “working on recuperating in a secure area.”
According to police, the attacker lurked behind a pillar outside the hotel while Allen smoked a cigarette. The man charged at Allen, knocking him down.
A woman saw Allen fall and ran to rescue him, according to the police report, and the man then attacked her.
The man fled to another hotel and began breaking car windows until witnesses and police apprehended him. He was detained and charged with two counts of violence, four counts of criminal mischief, and harming a disabled or elderly adult.
Allen was involved in a car accident in 1984 and lost his left arm.
Allen was wearing a blue Fort Lauderdale police t-shirt in an Instagram shot.
