Max Edward Hartley — an Ohio resident vacationing in Fort Lauderdale — hid behind a pillar before running at full speed toward the 59-year-old drummer, according to a Fort Lauderdale police report cited by the Daily Mail. Allen has only one arm due to a car accident on New Year’s Eve 1984.
Allen was standing near the valet area of the Four Seasons Hotel smoking a cigarette when he was struck. He was knocked to the ground and his head hit the cement, “causing injury,” the police report said.
A woman came running from the hotel to help the musician, but then Hartley allegedly turned on her and attacked her when she tried to run back inside. According to police, Hartley “continued to beat her” while she was on the ground. He then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her from the lobby to the sidewalk before fleeing the area, the report said.
Hartley allegedly saw the musician before assaulting him. The 19-year-old was arrested shortly after the assault near the Conrad hotel, where he damaged several vehicles in the parking garage. Allen made a statement to police and requested prosecution.
Hartley was charged with two counts of assault, four counts of criminal mischief and one count of abuse of an elderly or disabled adult.
Allen was staying in the Fort Lauderdale area to perform at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Sunday. Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe are in the midst of their 2023 World Tour, which began last month and ends in August.