Alan Ritchson appears in a video circulated by TMZ that shows the actor striking a man on a residential street in a Tennessee suburb while two children watched from nearby motorbikes.
The alleged victim, identified by TMZ as Ronnie Taylor, told the outlet the dispute began after Ritchson rode a green Kawasaki motorcycle through the neighborhood, riding at high speeds and revving the engine, which Taylor said disturbed residents.
Taylor said he responded to the behavior with an obscene gesture and that the actor returned the gesture, and that when he later asked Ritchson to stop the conduct the encounter turned physical.
In statements to TMZ, Taylor alleged Ritchson punched and kicked him, struck him at least four times while he was on the ground and caused visible bruising and swelling, but Taylor said he did not go to the hospital.
TMZ published the video showing Ritchson striking a kneeling man before riding off with the two children, and law enforcement sources told TMZ there is an active investigation but no arrests have been made.
Sources close to Ritchson told TMZ the actor did not instigate the incident and that the neighbor approached in a aggressively confrontational way, twice pushing Ritchson off his motorcycle and causing the actor to suffer cuts, bruises and a minor finger injury.
Those sources said Ritchson initially tried to defuse the situation, mounted his bike to leave and only fought back after being shoved to the ground, and they described the neighbor as the initiator of the encounter.
Investigation And Public Context
Law enforcement confirmed to TMZ that officers are looking into the incident, and TMZ reported that no arrests have been made so far and that Ritchson has been cooperative with police.
Photos and the video published by TMZ show visible injury to the alleged victim and footage of the confrontation in front of the two children, whom TMZ identified as Ritchson’s.
The Guardian reported it had contacted Ritchson’s representatives for comment, and noted Ritchson’s public profile as the star of the Amazon Prime Video series Reacher, a role frequently associated with intense physical fights.
Both the account from Taylor and the account from sources close to Ritchson are included in TMZ’s reporting, and the differing versions are part of the ongoing inquiry being handled by local authorities.
