• facebook
  • twitter
  • rss

Report: RUSH Guitarist Considers Suit Alleging Police Brutality

January 5, 2004

RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson may sue Naples, Florida, authorities for police brutality following a New Year's Eve fight with cops at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel restaurant, a source close to the Canadian rocker told MTV.com.

Lifeson, whose real name is Alex Zivojinovich, was arrested on six charges, including aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest and disorderly intoxication.

Police said they had to use a stun gun to subdue Zivojinovich, 50, and his son Justin, at a New Year's party at the Ritz-Carlton hotel in Naples.

Justin Zivojinovich, 33, and his wife, Michelle, 30, were also arrested. All three are Canadian citizens.

Alex Zivojinovich was released from Collier County jail Friday afternoon.

Authorities said the scuffle began when Justin Zivojinovich refused to leave the stage.

The guitarist spat blood on a deputy's face and pushed a deputy down a hotel stairwell during the struggle, a police report said.

Justin Zivojinovich disputed that account, saying the deputy tumbled down the stairs as she pushed the guitarist down the stairwell.

Meanwhile, The Toronto Sun is reporting that friends of Justin Zivojinovich, who lives in a quiet rural subdivision, have expressed their concern for their neighbor. "We just hope they are okay and that they will be home soon," said neighbor Teresa Flude as she flipped through her husband's collection of RUSH CDs.

"They are the nicest family. We were shocked when we read about these charges in the paper and we just want them to know that we are on their side."

"There is no way Justin would ever get in a fight," piped up Flude's 10-year-old son, Josh, who sported a hockey sweater the guitarist's son gave him. "He's always nice and he loves kids. He always plays street hockey with us."

"All of us neighbors here are RUSH fans and we're sticking by them," said husband Ed.

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).