Taylor Swift’s dad, Scott Swift, is being accused of assaulting an Australian photographer while celebrating the end of his daughter’s Eras Tour stop Down Under.
The NSW Police Force confirmed to Page Six on Monday that an investigation was launched after Scott allegedly attacked 51-year-old Ben McDonald at a ferry wharf in Sydney’s North shore.
We’re told the alleged assault occurred around 2:30 a.m on Tuesday morning. McDonald did not require medical treatment.
Taylor Swift’s dad, Scott Swift, has been accused of attacking a paparazzo. He allegedly “charged” at the photographer after getting off a yacht in the early hours of Tuesday morning.Larry Busacca/ACM2015
McDonald told the Daily Mail that Scott, 71, and the pop star, 34, had been out partying when the alleged incident occurred.
The man claims that Scott “charged” at him after the father-daughter duo got off their luxury superyacht for the night.
“She got off the boat, she walked towards security guards who were shoving umbrellas in our faces, and then he charged,” McDonald alleged to the outlet.
The 51-year-old claims that Scott, 71, struck him in the left side of the face.GC Images
The father-daughter duo was allegedly out celebrating the end of the pop star’s stop in Sydney.
McDonald claims that Scott struck him on the left side of the face, leaving him with “very sore chops.”
The paparazzo alleges that he didn’t do anything to provoke the protective father.
“He probably decided he needed to defend his daughter, for some reason,” he told the outlet.
“In 23 years I have never seen anything like it,” he added.
However, a rep for the 14-time Grammy winner told Page Six that “two individuals were aggressively pushing their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.”
“She got off the boat, she walked towards security guards who were shoving umbrellas in our faces, and then he charged,” McDonald told the outlet.MTRX / BACKGRID
Papa Swift was photographed walking beside his daughter before the alleged incident occurred.MTRX / BACKGRID
Photos taken from the time of the alleged incident show Scott and the “Cruel Summer” singer walking off a dock with a black umbrella covering the megastar from the waist up.
While Scott did not shield himself, he was seen at his daughter’s side, holding out his arm to guide her along.
They were joined by at least two security guards, one of which pointed a flashlight towards the waiting paparazzi.
Scott held the pop star’s hand to guide her as she covered herself with an umbrella.MTRX / BACKGRID
The man told the Daily Mail that Scott “probably decided he needed to defend his daughter” but claims he didn’t do anything to provoke him.TikTok/@flormosso_
The Daily Mail also obtained footage from the alleged attack, showing Swift and her father walking up from the wharf as her security personnel blocked the photographers’ view.
A security guard then asked the photogs to “step away from the vehicle.” Once Scott and Swift got to the car, the camera jolted as two people seemingly bumped into one another when the cameraman neared the open car door.
“Who was that dude?” the man behind the camera could be heard saying as he stumbled to the ground.
Police confirmed to Page Six that the incident is under investigation.AFP via Getty Images
Scott was spotted enjoying Swift’s show — and handing out sandwiches to fans — just days prior to the alleged attack.Getty Images for ACM
It’s unclear if the alleged incident will impact Swift’s plans to fly out of the country for her next shows in Singapore starting March 2.
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Scott has been somewhat of a staple at his daughter’s shows for over a decade now and joined the “Anti-Hero” singer in Australia for the international leg of her record-breaking tour.
The father of two is known to pass out guitar picks to Swift’s fans but seemingly switched things up this weekend by passing out sandwiches to hungry concertgoers.
Reps for the singer did not immediately reply to our request for comment.WavyPeter / SplashNews.comWhat do you think? Post a comment.
In a viral video shared to TikTok, Papa Swift could be seen leaning over the barriers that separated the general public from the VIP area to give fans some of the food from inside the exclusive tent.
In the clip, Scott adorably held a light over the tray of food so fans could have a choice of sandwich before rushing back to their seats to take in the show.
Despite a concert going on in the background, he could be heard telling fans to “help yourselves.”
