But how Sam Halpern, Hartley’s attorney, described the 19-year-old was markedly different than his actions described in 911 calls and an arrest report.
“He’s an extremely nice young man,” said Halpern of Sam Halpern PA “He’s never been in trouble with the law before.”
From Avon, Ohio, Hartley was an all-around athlete in high school before entering college, playing soccer, rugby and recreational league basketball.
“He was highly respected by close family and friends for years,” Halpern added.
When he got to Fort Lauderdale, however, police say he assaulted two people — with a bystander describing the young man as drunk when it all broke down.
Halpern did not comment on what provoked the attacks or whether Def Leppard band member Rick Allen played any role.
Two people attacked, chaos breaks out at the restaurant
Monday, Hartley chased a man at full speed who was smoking a cigarette in the valet section of the Four Seasons Hotel, 525 N Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd, an arrest report said.
READ MORE: Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen attacked outside South Florida hotel by 19-year-old
He knocked the man over whose head hit the ground.
Fort Lauderdale police did not identify the victim, but WSVN 7 News first reported that Allen was the man attacked. The 59-year-old’s condition is unknown. He was in town performing with Mötley Crüe at the Seminole Hard Rock on Sunday.
According to the report, an unidentified woman came over to help Allen before Hartley pushed her over and she also hit her head. He then pulled the woman back outside the hotel as she tried to flee into the lobby.
After the attacks, 911 callers reported apprehending Hartley after he tried to break a restaurant window by throwing chairs.
A caller said he appeared “very heavily intoxicated.”
The spring break got off to a rocky start
In his more than three decades of law practice, Halpern said Hartley’s case was fairly standard compared to previous spring break crimes.
“You see a lot of criminal mischief, battery charges during spring break,” he said.
In fact, Fort Lauderdale police have already begun increasing their precautionary messages to the public about closures and rules for incoming guests.
From March 3 to April 2, the city will ban alcohol, tents, scooters, coolers and unauthorized vendors on portions of its beach — from the 900 block of Seabreeze north to the 1700 block of North A1A.
Another measure the police use for spring break is the Bar Watch program, which is used to promote and prevent sexual assaults. It’s basically a network of bartenders, police and others who keep an eye out for signs of sexual assault and other crimes.