The individual involved in the altercation with actor Alan Ritchson, captured on video, has come forward to discuss the events leading to the incident, RadarOnline.com reports.
Ronnie Taylor alleged that the Reacher star was recklessly speeding on his motorcycle in their Brentwood, Tennessee, neighborhood. When Taylor attempted to voice his concerns, he claimed Ritchson dismounted and “kicked the crap out of me,” displaying injuries to his forehead, nose, and face.
According to Taylor, an “experienced motorcycle rider” himself, the conflict began after he noticed the “revving and speeding through our neighborhood of a motorcycle,” he told TMZ. On March 21, Taylor said he finally identified the rider.
“I didn’t know who it was, and I sort of flippantly said, ‘Can you just slow it down, please?'” he explained to the outlet.
Taylor mentioned that several neighbors captured Ritchson’s dangerous riding on Ring doorbell cameras, documenting his excessive speed.
The following day, Taylor encountered the 6-foot-3-inch action star, still unaware of his identity as the rider.
“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 said, ‘You’ve got to stop, someone is going to get hurt,'” Taylor recounted.
He noted that the situation “escalated quite quickly.”
Taylor admitted, “I did push him because he was coming toward me on his bike.” On the second occasion, Ritchson allegedly got off his bike and “kicked the crap out of me.”
“He hit me on the back of the head. I went to the ground and covered myself,” Taylor recounted how he tried to protect himself from further harm.
Taylor explained his decision to report the incident to the police as a stand for community safety.
“I don’t wish the guy any malice or ill will, but we just don’t need people riding through neighborhoods like this, and I just decided to take a stand. Because someone has to, or it could end up way worse,” he stated.
Meanwhile, a source close to Ritchson argued that Taylor was the aggressor, approaching the actor “really aggressively.”
This reportedly led to the War Machine actor falling off his motorcycle, sustaining cuts, bruises, and a minor finger injury.
Ritchson’s camp claimed Taylor provoked the actor to hit him while he was injured on the ground. They added that Ritchson tried to leave the scene but was continuously yelled at by Taylor.
The source alleged Taylor “shoved” Ritchson, causing the actor to retaliate. However, footage obtained by TMZ appeared to show the Fast X star as the instigator of the physical confrontation.
In a January Instagram post, Ritchson showcased the neon green Kawasaki stunt bike seen in the video. He praised GTA Stunts Motorsports & Powder Coating for their work on the bike, saying they “killed it on this teardown. Rebuilt the new ZX6R from the ground up,” adding, “It’s stopies and loop time babay!” referring to nose-wheelies.
When asked what he should name the bike, Ritchson’s wife, Catherine, commented, “Widowmaker,” hinting at her concerns about potential dangers with the stunt bike.
The Motor City star humorously responded to her comment, asking, “So you’re saying you’re not hopping on the back?”
