Former Anthrax singer Daniel Nelson (43), who fronted the band from 2007-2009, was arrested for allegedly attacking two elderly men inside a Queens, New York hotel last month. Daily News reports, the incident took place on August 30th at around 11:30PM in the Aloft Hotel near LaGuardia Airport where Nelson apparently had a show with his band that evening as the victims James Paolino (74) and Philip Falcone (73) also attended to watch a friend play drums. According to the police, the two men angered Nelson to the point that he struck them.
A few witnesses noticed Nelson appeared off that evening as it took him a long time to tune his guitar. According to the NYPD, Paolino commented Nelson with “you had a rough night,” which eventually set the former Anthrax singer off in an uncontrollable rage.
Paolino told the Daily News:
“He’s whacked. He can’t even tune his guitar. He had been drinking non-stop.”
Once the show wrapped up, Paolino and Falcone ended up sharing an elevator with Nelson, which is where the commotion took place.
Paolino added:
“He started kicking me and punching me in the head. These were real MMA (mixed martial arts) kicks. He knocked me down. I’m on the floor bleeding. He broke my glasses and I knew the next kicks were coming for my head. I’m helpless.”
Falcone tried to stop the fight, which resulted in him allegedly getting punched as well. He later explained how another man in the elevator stepped in and punched Nelson. Both elderly men have refused to seek medical attention after being attacked.
Nelson, on the other hand, was arrested yesterday (11th) and is currently facing felony assault and harassment charges. At an arraignment in Queens Criminal Court last night (11th), Nelson was released and is scheduled to return on October 11th. Marc Isaac, who represented Nelson in the civil suit has stated his client refutes the claims against him:
“I’ve seen the video, and what they’re saying is not correct. I can tell you that there was no bloody altercation. That’s completely false.”
Michael Arbeit, Nelson’s criminal defense lawyer has declined to comment.
During Nelson’s time with Anthrax, he worked during the production stages of 2011’s Worship Music. However, he parted ways with the band on bad terms resulting in the group re-recording vocals with Joey Belladonna. Nelson sued the band for $2.65 million for defamation over his shared profits. The case was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount in 2012.
[via Daily News]
