UPDATE: Alex Band, the lead singer of The Calling, was abducted and beaten this weekend in Michigan, he confirmed in a statement to Us Weekly hours after reports first emerged. The rocker was walking from his hotel in Lapeer, Mich., to a nearby mini-mart at around 4 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 18, when some people in a van pulled up alongside him and took him off the street.
The statement notes that the star was "left for dead" by his abductors. "After a heavily attended Lapeer Days Festival, the singer was abducted after the show during a trip to the mini-mart. Alex was grabbed his shirt and hit from behind and lost his footing," the statement explains. It goes on to say that he was beaten with a police baton and had a gun pointed at his face while his abductors demanded his so-called "Hollywood money."
"After Band fought back, he was cornered in the van with the gun to his face, and Band told the assailants, 'Don't kill me as I am about to be a dad,'" the statement continues. "After more beating, the assailants responded with 'We don't kill fathers' and then left him for dead at a local railroad track in Lapeer." He suffered a fractured lower spine, a gash on his chin requiring 15 stitches, three broken teeth, and bruising to his side and stomach.
"I never thought my unborn child would be my savior," Band says in the statement. "I am grateful to be alive and I know that I am destined for bringing my music back to my fans." He adds that drugs and alcohol were not involved in the incident, saying: "I take my rehabilitation very seriously. I was near death due to this unbelievable situation and the rumors are categorically false."
Sources previously told TMZ the abductors beat the 32-year-old Band severely before dumping him on some local train tracks. He was discovered a short time later.
Band and his The Calling bandmates — who split in 2005 but reportedly reunited just recently — were in Lapeer for a music festival. Another member of the group (known for the song "Wherever You Will Go") reportedly noticed that the singer had gone missing on Sunday morning and then assembled a search party.
Law enforcement officials wouldn't confirm the details of the incident to TMZ, but the site says that a report was filed and that cops are currently investigating. Band himself has not yet responded to TMZ's request for comment. His condition is unclear.