DEF LEPPARD Drummer RICK ALLEN Speaks Out On Violent Assault In Florida - "I Don't Think He Knew Who I Was, But He Must Have Seen That I Wasn't A Threat... I've Only Got One Arm"; Video
May 23, 2023, a year ago
Rick Allen, the iconic drummer of Def Leppard, is opening up about his recovery journey only months after he was assaulted after a show in Fort Lauderdale in March.
The 59-year-old drummer sat down with Good Morning America in an exclusive interview to talk about the attack, where the drummer said he was “totally blindsided.”
“I heard a couple of steps and then I just saw this [flash] and the next thing I knew was I was on the ground,” said Allen. “I landed on my backside… hit my head on the pavement.”
Allen, who lost his left arm in a car crash in 1984, said he feared he would be attacked again, so he reached his hand up in the air and said, “I am no threat to you.”
“I don't think he knew who I was, but he must have seen that I wasn't a threat because, you know, I've only got one arm,” said Allen, a member of one the world's best-selling bands, Def Leppard, who has sold more than 100 million records worldwide.
A woman reportedly came to help Allen, but the suspect allegedly attacked the woman too. However, according to the police report, it didn't appear that the woman suffered any serious injuries.
Fort Lauderdale police arrested Max Hartley, a 19-year-old from Ohio, shortly after he allegedly attacked the drummer and the woman who tried to interfere in the incident, nearby the site of the attack at the Four Seasons in Fort Lauderdale, on March 13.
Read more at Good Morning America, and watch the video below:
