Alan Ritchson alleged that he “feared” for his and his kids’ safety before he threatened to run over his “drunk” neighbor with his motorcycle during a heated altercation.
The “Reacher” star detailed his neighbor Ronnie Taylor’s alleged “unprovoked aggression” while riding bikes with his two sons in their Brentwood, Tenn., neighborhood on Sunday, per a police statement obtained by Page Six.
Ritchson claimed he was leading his two sons down their street “when an aggressive man purposely stepped in front of [his] motorcycle in an effort to confront [him].”
“In an effort to avoid hitting him, I was forced to stop so hard my bike flipped over, landing on me,” the actor claimed, explaining that he was injured on his thumb and elbow.
Ritchson alleged that when he got to his feet, Taylor came closer to him “as if to fight.”
“I pushed him to the ground to create distance between us and safety for myself and my kids,” he wrote, stating that the man, whom he allegedly had never seen before, threatened him for “driving like a lunatic.”
“I could smell alcohol heavy on his breath,” the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” star continued.
However, Taylor allegedly continued to scream at Ritchson, and “in anger,” the latter told him that he “should knock him out” or “should have run him over.”
Ritchson then tried to leave without saying anything else, claiming Taylor had accused him of hitting him with his motorcycle and called him a “p–sy” in an attempt to provoke him.
“As I was attempting to leave peacefully, he put himself in front of my bike again,” Ritchson wrote. “I revived the engine as if to ask him to step aside, and he, with both hands, shoved me so hard that both, myself, and my bike fell completely to the ground.”
“I completely now feared for both my and my kids’ safety, having been aggressively stopped twice and assaulted by this out-of-control individual,” he alleged.
Ritchson then explained the released footage of him hitting Taylor, claiming he was trying to defend himself and force Taylor to “stay down” so that he and his kids could safely leave.
The “Fast X” star alleged his efforts worked, writing he was able to leave, even with the man threatening and screaming at him.
“He was the aggressor,” he alleged. “I was forced to defend myself. This is the first time in my life I have had to protect myself with force.”
In another statement, one witness confirmed that Taylor approached Ritchson and the duo started hitting each other, while another witness claimed they saw Taylor push Ritchson first.
However, Taylor told officers that he approached Ritchson for driving too fast when the actor allegedly got off his bike and “became physical,” per documents obtained by Page Six.
During an interview with TMZ, Taylor was seen with bruises and scratches on his face.
On Tuesday, the Brentwood Police Department told the Hollywood Reporter that Ritchson had acted in self-defense and wouldn’t be criminally charged.
Read the full article here
