On Sunday, a video of Reacher star Alan Ritchson seemingly attacking and beating up his neighbour did the rounds on social media, and it was starting to look like the actor might be facing some serious consequences.
However, it soon came to light that this was just a clip from a longer video, which added some important context to the altercation. As it turns out, Ritchson simply retaliated when Ronnie Taylor got physical with him first.
Taylor gave a video interview with TMZ, admitting that he instigated the confrontation.
“On Sunday, when I was cleaning my 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.' Then it escalated quite quickly from there. I did push him because he was coming toward me on his bike.”
As the full video shows, Ritchson was indeed coming towards him on his bike... because Taylor rushed into the street!
In any case, local police will not be pursuing any charges against Ritchson after concluding that he 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,” Brentwood Police Captain Steven Pepin tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Ritchson was given the opportunity to file charges of his own against Taylor, but declined to do so.
“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.”
Though Ritchson did clearly lose his cool here, the general consensus seems to be that Taylor basically "asked for it" when he dared the much larger man to hit him after the actor had attempted to walk away from the situation.
There's always a chance this could still have a negative impact on Ritchon's career, but it seems unlikely now that the case is closed and no further action from either party is being taken.