When college students head out on spring break to party in the sunshine, a little chaos is to be expected. But some of this year’s Spring Breakers have been partying a little too hard — turning fun in the sun into total mayhem.
From Miami to Cabo San Lucas, the week-long party has been marred by fight clubs, shootings, celebrity attacks and even the tragic deaths of a few revelers.
The most notable victim of this year’s Spring Break pandemonium was Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen, who allegedly assaulted 19-year-old Max Hartley at the Four Seasons Hotel in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Miami Herald.
Hartley, who one 911 caller said was “highly intoxicated,” allegedly drove off with Allen at full speed as the musician smoked a cigarette, knocking the 59-year-old on his head. When the woman approached Allen for help, Hartley allegedly knocked her down as well, then dragged her to the back of the hotel to prevent her from escaping.
Hartley’s attorney, Sam Halpern, has denied the allegations, calling his client a “very sweet young man” who has “never been in trouble with the law.”
Meanwhile, a violent incident on Miami’s South Beach turned deadly Friday night when a shooting tragically interrupted St. Patrick’s Day festivities.
Miami Beach police have arrested one man after violence erupted at a busy intersection next to Miami’s palm-lined beach that left one dead and another seriously injured.
Police have not identified the victims, but they do have one suspect in custody, who police say is “fully cooperating with the investigation.”
Even police officers have not been safe from the wave of Spring Break violence after a college basketball player attacked one officer Wednesday at Fort Lauderdale’s popular Rock Bar, authorities said.
De’Sean Allen-Eikens, a 22-year-old student at California State University Northridge, allegedly got into an altercation with a bouncer at a busy bar that ended with the 6-foot-6-inch assailant being thrown to the floor.
When the police were called, one Fort Lauderdale officer tried to calm Allen-Eikens down, but was instead punched in the face for his trouble, according to police body camera footage.
Allen-Eikens, who was seen in handcuffs with a bloody nose after the encounter, is now facing charges including battery on a law enforcement officer.
According to NewsNation , in between these flare-ups, revelers claim to have seen impromptu fight clubs break out on South Florida’s crowded beaches. One of them was women and bros brawling on the sands of Fort Lauderdale to the great excitement of cheering crowds. Daily mail.
Still, some of the most tragic events of the season have been caused not by violence but by horrific accidents.
Liza Burke, a senior at the University of Georgia in North Carolina, was eating breakfast at the Mexican resort town of Cabo San Lucas when she complained of a headache and became unresponsive.
Burke was eventually hospitalized for a brain hemorrhage and flown to a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, where he underwent surgery.
While Burke has been reunited with his family after his harrowing medical ordeal, one student from New Jersey was not so lucky.
Ohio State University finance student Henry Meacock was confirmed dead on spring break after his sister’s heartbreaking Instagram post. The cause of his sudden death is still unclear.
“You are a very special soul who will live forever. The most beautiful boy inside and out. No one will ever have a smile like yours,” Ellie Meacocks wrote.
Considering the possible risks, experts and health authorities urge caution during Spring Break.