Def Leppard drummer recovering from attack outside hotel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen says he is recovering from an attack earlier this month outside a Florida hotel.

Allen, who was in South Florida to perform a show at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, was attacked while taking a smoke break outside the the Four Seasons hotel on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Police arrested a 19-year-old man, but said they don’t have a motive for the attack. They did not identify either the suspect, or Allen, in the police report.

But in a social media post, Allen, 59, said he’s thankful for all the support he has received from this fans. He said he’s also relieved that his wife, Lauren, wasn’t with him when the incident occurred, and that they are now “working on recovering in a safe space.”

Police said the assailant was hiding behind a pillar outside the hotel while Allen was smoking a cigarette. The man ran at Allen, knocking him to the ground.

According to the police report, a woman saw Allen fall and ran to help him, and the man then attacked her.

The man then ran to another hotel and started breaking car windows until he was stopped by witnesses and police arrived. He was arrested and charged with two counts of battery, four counts of criminal mischief, and abusing an elderly or disabled adult.

Allen lost his left arm in an accident in 1984.

In a photo posted on Instagram, Allen was wearing a blue Fort Lauderdale police t-shirt.