More details have emerged regarding the viral altercation that ensued between “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson and his neighbor, Ronnie Taylor.
Sources suggest Taylor provoked Ritchson and pushed him off his bike twice before the actor retaliated.
The tense altercation between Alan Ritchson and his neighbor was captured in a clip, which has since gone viral online.
Alan Ritchson Was Provoked By His Neighbor, Eyewitnesses Claim
Over the weekend, Alan Ritchson was caught on camera giving a man the beating of his life in his neighborhood back in Tennessee.
More puzzling was the fact that the physical confrontation was done in front of his 2 children, who were sitting on their motorbikes nearby.
However, reports claim the “War Machine” actor wasn’t at fault and was seemingly acting in self-defense following a series of aggressive provocations by a neighbor, who was identified as Ronnie Taylor.
According to TMZ, eyewitnesses said they saw Ritchson riding his motorcycle down the street in Brentwood, Tennessee, and was tailed by his 2 kids, who were also riding their mini bikes.
However, Taylor burst onto the scene in an attempt to try and stop Ritchson’s bike, but did so in a “really aggressive” manner. This reportedly caused the actor to fall, suffering cuts and bruises, as well as minor injury to his finger.
The Actor’s Neighbor Shared His Own Account
In the Lead-Up to the now-viral altercation, Taylor reportedly dared Ritchson to hit him as he continued yelling at the actor, but he managed to maintain his cool and tried to get on his bike to leave.
However, the neighbor purportedly shoved the actor to the ground, which was what led to Ritchson beating him up as seen in the clip. After that, Ritchson got back on his bike and left with his kids.
According to TMZ, Taylor explained that the incident actually started on Saturday when Ritchson rode his bike on the street and was allegedly disturbing the peace by riding at full speed while revving his engine.
Then on Sunday, the actor did the same thing, but this time, he was with his children. He explained that he asked Ritchson, “Can you f-cking stop this please,” which is when things allegedly turned physical.
Meanwhile, the investigation is still on with reports noting Ritchson has been cooperative, but no arrest has been made so far.
Some Fans Poked Fun At The Clip Of Alan Ritchson’s Fight With His Neighbor: ‘This Gotta Be A Scene’
Meanwhile, Ritchson’s beating of Taylor left many internet users divided, with some thinking it was probably a scene for a new series.
“Must be a new series being filmed lol,” a fan wrote on Instagram, while another commented, “This gotta be a scene.”
Someone else with the same take wrote, “Naaah, this is from set Reacher season 4.”
Some users defended Ritchson’s acts, saying he’s a “good dude” while asking for the full story.
A fan wrote, “The man is 6’3 with every muscle you can possibly get. How and why did I get here? I’ve met homie, he’s a good dude. We need the full story.”
“Whatever Reacher said that man did… he did it,” another fan added.
“By the way, the man in the blue shirt walked up to him after being hit, tells me that he did something to deserve it,” someone else who suspected Ritchson wasn’t to blame commented.
The Actor Faced Some Backlash For Fighting In Front Of Kids
Some social media users slammed the actor for his behavior, suggesting he could have kept things calm, especially as his kids were present.
“Violence in front of children is child abuse. No one ever mentions the kids, who will be the most affected by seeing adults behaving inappropriately,” one person wrote.
Another said, “Irrespective of what, acts of violence in front of your children is a no no no. Call your cops immediately.”
Alan Ritchson Recently Spoke About His ‘Hard’ Experience Filming ‘War Machine’
Amid the offscreen controversy, Ritchson’s career remains on an upward trajectory. He rose to fame on Prime Video’s global smash “Reacher,” and has seemingly maintained the same standard for subsequent roles.
In his recent role as Army Sergeant “81” on Netflix’s “War Machine,” Ritchson admitted the film demanded a feat of physicality that nearly wore him out, but he managed to rise to the occasion as he always does.
In the film, Ritchson’s character is an elite combat engineer training to become an Army Ranger. Motivated by his brother’s death in Afghanistan, 81 leads his unit through a deadly, unexpected battle against an alien AI killing machine in the Colorado wilderness, turning a training exercise into a fight for survival.
“It was hard. I’m not going to lie, this was the most I’ve ever been pushed physically, and it was the most I’ve ever doubted my own ability to finish,” he told The Hollywood Reporter about starring in the movie.
