Allen chats about the attack in Fort Lauderdale, FL
Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen has opened up about his brutal attack in Fort Lauderdale, FL on March 13th following a performance with his band. In his first interview since, Allen chats with Phil Lipof of ABC News where he details the moment that he feared for his life.
“I heard a couple of steps, and then I just saw this dark, sort of flash, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. I landed on my backside, and then continued on, hit my head on the pavement,” he shares in an interview that aired on ABC’s Good Morning America. “I reach my hand up into the air because I thought I was going to get attacked again. And I just said, ‘I am no threat to you.’ I don’t think he knew who I was, but he must’ve seen I wasn’t a threat because I’ve only got one arm.”
He continues, “I immediately just went to that place of just feeling grateful for the fact that I have an amazing wife and an incredible family. I just started thanking, yeah, just started thanking a higher power for the fact that I’m still here.”
Allen’s wife, Lauren Monroe, says, “My heart just completely sank into me. Everything stopped in our house and focused on him. We take the ‘How’. ‘How did this happen to me?’ We can’t answer that question. We take out the ‘Why did this happen to me?’ We can’t answer that question either. We focus on the what is right now.”
Fort Lauderdale police arrested a 19 year old visiting from Ohio. He has pled not guilty to the charge of abuse to an elderly or disabled person. No motive has been determined for what appears to be a random attack.
A few days later, Allen thanks fans for their support through a social media message.
“Thank you everyone for your overwhelming support,” he wrote. “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. 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.”
Def Leppard and Mötley Crüe are currently in the midst of their co-headlining The World Tour along with special guest Alice Cooper. The trek resumes tonight (May 22nd) in Sheffield, England, not far where Allen famously lost his arm in a car crash in the 1980s. The trek returns to the US for a slew of shows in August.
