Has Alan Ritchson gotten away with assaulting a neighbour? Here's what happened

In the hit television series Reacher, he plays a military officer in pursuit of assassins, beating villains to pulp and leaving behind a trail of destruction. In real life, however, there's more to the story of its protagonist, Alan Ritchson, assaulting a neighbour.

Videos of Ritchson entering into a physical altercation with a man in Brentwood, an upscale area in Williamson County south of Nashville, turned popular on social media.

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But Brentwood Police, who responded to 911 calls over the incident that took place on March 22, decided against bringing charges, its Captain Steven Pepin told USA Today.

The reason: After reviewing footage of the incident and recording statements from witnesses, police came to the conclusion that Ritchson acted in self defence.

"Although a potential reckless endangerment charge was considered, Mr. Ritchson declined to pursue charges," Pepin told the publication in an email. "The case is now closed, and no further action will be taken."

Ritchson made a cryptic reference to the incident on Instagram, by posting a quote by Napoleon Bonaparte.

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake," it read.

The other side of the story

The alleged victim and Ritchson's neighbour, Ronnie Taylor, claimed that Ritchson and his kids had been speeding down residential streets on motorcycles with no regard for neighbors or their kids, the US entertainment portal TMZ reported.

He claims he confronted Ritchson and "ended up paying for it".

Taylor also admitted he first shoved Ritchson. Footage from a body cam strapped to the actor's torso shows the entire altercation from his point of view.

An avid rider himself, Taylor, TMZ reported, was in his driveway washing his bike when Ritchson came by. He said he jumped at the opportunity to give the actor a piece of his mind.

In the video, Taylor can be seen attempting to block Ritchson in the middle of the street, after which the actor parks his bike by the roadside and pushes the neighbour to the ground.

Taylor then is seen pushes the actor a second time, knocking him off his bike, prompting Ritchson to respond in self defence.

Taylor told the Daily Mail that he didn't know who the neighbour was. "I did not know who he was or care," he said. "I only found out after the incident."