Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has sent a message of thanks to fans who flooded him with support after he was assaulted last week.
Allen, 59, and his wife Lauren Monroe assured fans he is “recovering” after a 19-year-old tourist allegedly attacked him outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“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 wrote.
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“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,” the post ended.
The attack reportedly occurred after Def Leppard performed a concert with Mötley Crüe at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on March 12. The attacker has been identified as 19-year-old Ohio man, Max Hartley.
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People obtained a police report detailing the attack, which revealed that Allen was smoking a cigarette outside the hotel when the teen ran at him and struck him.
The report notes that Allen is disabled, having lost his arm in a car accident in 1984. He reportedly fell to the ground after being struck.
A woman then came out of the hotel to help Allen – she was also allegedly struck by Hartley, who “continued to batter her” when she fell to the ground.
Hartley then grabbed the woman by her hair and dragged her out of the hotel’s lobby after she ran back inside to escape.
He reportedly fled the scene, but was quickly arrested by police a few blocks away after he was discovered damaging cars in a local garage.
Hartley was later charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief and abusing an elderly or disabled adult, according to the report.
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