A man said to have been involved in a street fight with Alan Ritchson has claimed he “pushed” the actor moments before the confrontation turned physical, allegedly in view of children believed to be Ritchson’s.
The 43-year-old actor, known for playing the lead in Amazon Prime Video’s Reacher, is reported to have gotten into a tense dispute over dirt-bike riding in a residential neighborhood over the weekend while accompanied by two kids.
Footage first published by TMZ appears to show a man believed to be Ritchson striking another man outside homes in Brentwood, Tennessee.
Authorities say the matter is still being looked into, and no one has been taken into custody.
“There will be a police report available when the investigation has concluded,” a spokesperson for the Brentwood, Tennessee Police Department told the Daily Mail.
The neighbor who says he was involved has since given his account of what happened.
Ronnie Taylor told TMZ he didn’t realize the person he confronted on Saturday (March 21) was well-known, saying he approached him to raise concerns about how the green Kawasaki bike was being handled.
“Then, on Sunday, when I was cleaning by bike outside my house, he rode past once, twice, and on the second time I walked out in front of him, and I said, ‘You got to stop, someone’s going to get hurt,’” the man alleged in conversation with TMZ.
“Then it escalated quite quickly from there. I did push him because he was coming towards me on his bike.”
Taylor alleged that he shoved Ritchson again shortly after, and claims the situation quickly escalated into a beating.
“He hit me in the back of my head [and] I went to the ground and covered myself,” he reported.
In video shared with the outlet, Taylor can be seen with a noticeable mark on his forehead.
He also claimed he was struck “at least four times,” and said he made an obscene gesture at Ritchson during the exchange, but did not seek hospital treatment afterward.
On Monday (March 23), Ritchson posted a brief, cryptic message to Instagram for his roughly five million followers.
The text, reportedly attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, read: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
In the wake of the incident, some commenters voiced support for the actor online.
“Thanks for being you. Don’t stop.”
“Chin up. Trust what you did was with reason and don’t regret it. Haters will always have a reason to hate,” a second argued.
“Nobody has a right to judge what they don’t know all the details of. Whatever it is, you’ve got this, and to every 1 hater there are 1000 supporters.”