“Reacher” star Alan Ritchson will not face any charges after bloody brawl with neighbor Ronnie Taylor, Brentwood cops say.
The Brentwood Police Department told entertainment site TMZ that they had determined Ritchson acted in self-defense, and would not be charged — and implied that Ritchson was given the option to pursue reckless endangerment charges against Taylor.
“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. Although a potential reckless endangerment charge was considered, Mr. Ritchson declined to pursue charges,” they said.
“With the agreement of the District Attorney’s Office, the case is now closed, and no further action will be taken,” the statement concluded. Ritchson made headlines when video of the bloody altercation circulated online, and TMZ published a story that included comments from Taylor explaining what happened.Taylor put the onus on Ritchson, saying that he had confronted the “Reacher” actor over his loud motorcycle. He stated that he had not known prior to the interaction that Ritchson was an actor, and he had only confronted him because he and his kids had been riding their motorcycles on residential streets.”It escalated quite quickly from there,” Taylor said. “I did push [Ritchson] because he was coming towards me on his bike.”Taylor then got in Ritchson’s face, as two kids watched, and the actor shoved Taylor to the ground. Taylor got up and pushed Ritchson off his motorcycle, prompting Ritchson to start swinging. He kept punching until Taylor stopped coming after him.The whole interaction was recorded by a body camera the actor was wearing — and police said that because Taylor had clearly instigated the physical fight, Ritchson’s subsequent actions were considered to be self-defense.
Ritchson appeared to comment on the situation later, posting to Instagram, “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
