‘Reacher’ Star Breaks Silence On Viral Fight With Neighbor

Alan Ritchson broke his silence Monday about the viral confrontation with his neighbor that was caught on camera earlier this year, calling it the “scariest thing” he’s ever experienced.

Appearing on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, the “Reacher” star recounted the March confrontation outside his Brentwood, Tennessee, home for the first time in detail.

The only documented response from Ritchson prior to this was a cryptic Instagram post quoting Napoleon following the incident.

Ritchson, 43, said he was testing a custom motorcycle while riding with his three sons when he noticed neighbor Ronnie Taylor watching him from the side of the road.

Taylor then stepped in front of the bike when Ritchson was riding, causing the actor to fall off his bike. At that moment, Ritchson said he pushed Taylor back after he approached him “aggressively.” 

Ritchson said he smelled alcohol on Taylor’s breath and believed the confrontation was escalating. He also denied Taylor’s claim to TMZ that the two had interacted days earlier.

“At that point there is no more conversation. I’ve got to protect me, and I’ve got to protect my kids, and I’ve got to get us off the street safely,” Ritchson said on the podcast. “That means getting him out of the picture. Right? And so I hit the guy.”

Ritchson said he feared the incident would end his career after an “army of police officers” rushed to his front door as they prepared to arrest him.

“My wife was at a retreat… [where] they take your phone. I had no way to contact her,” he stated. “I was the sole caretaker of my kids… I’m calming them down and reassuring them that it’s going to be okay…’I’m not going to get arrested, I don’t think.’”

The ‘Motor City’ star credited his intuition for putting on a year-old body camera that day during the ride, calling it “a gift from God.” Ritchson was able to give it to police when they approached him, which he believes prevented him from going to jail and “[changing] the course of [his] life forever.”

Despite neither party facing any criminal charges, the many camera angles of the altercation affected his personal life.

“My kids won’t ride with me anymore. Like he robbed me of that, man. Like f*ck that, dude. F*ck that,” Ritchson stated. “I have so much anger. I have so much resentment that I can’t quite let go of. I just decided to let it go, but he still took a lot from me.”