Once you see the videos, you’ll understand why.
Police in Brentwood, Tennessee, a wealthy suburb just outside of Nashville, have announced that no charges will be filed against actor Alan Ritchson after an altercation that left his neighbor with a busted up face over the weekend.
The incident happened on Sunday, and quickly went viral when video was posted by TMZ showing the Reacher and Titans actor punching his neighbor in the middle of their street.
The neighbor, Ronnie Taylor, told TMZ that the situation started the day before when Ritchson was riding his motorcycle through the neighborhood “at excessive speed, revving his engine and disturbing the peace.”
Taylor says he and Ritchson flipped each other off, but then on Sunday, the actor was back out on his bike with his kids. The neighbor says that he asked Ritchson to “f—ing stop this please,” when the actor punched and kicked him. He says Ritchson fell off his bike, and got back up to confront him, which is when the actor began hitting him while on the ground.
The neighbor shared photos of his injuries from the altercation, including a scraped up face and a black eye.
No arrests were made at the time, and after TMZ released bodycam footage of the incident captured by Ritchson, it became clear that the neighbor’s story might not have been entirely accurate.
Video captured by the actor while riding his motorcycle shows Taylor stepping in front of Ritchson’s bike as he’s riding down the street, forcing him to slam on the brakes and fly over the front handlebars as he comes to a stop. Ritchson then walks up to the man asking, “Are you f—ing kidding me dude?” and knocking him to the ground.
The two continue arguing before Ritchson gets back on his bike, but the neighbor continues to yell at him and pushes him over as it appears the actor was trying to drive away.
From there it was on, as Ritchson gets back up and fights back against the out-of-control neighbor:
Well as online sentiment quickly turned against the neighbor, the Brentwood Police Department announced that they had also determined that Taylor was the aggressor and that no charges would be filed in the incident after it was determined that Ritchson had acted in self defense.
“After reviewing available evidence, including video footage and witness statements, authorities determined that no criminal charges will be pursued. Mr. Ritchson’s actions were found to be in self-defense.”
Captain Steven Pepin said that the department had explored criminal charges against Taylor for reckless endangerment after the neighbor admitted to starting the physical confrontation, but Ritchson declined to pursue charges:
“Although a potential reckless endangerment charge was considered, Mr. Ritchson declined to pursue charges. With the agreement of the District Attorney’s Office, the case is now closed, and no further action will be taken.”
I mean, if there ever were a case for bodycams it’s this one. I know Ritchson was probably just wearing a camera to capture footage of his ride, but man…that video was really all it took to show that he was in the right on this one.
