Taylor Swift’s dad, Scott Swift, is facing the heat after charges of assault were filed against him by an Australian photographer during the Eras Tour in Sydney.
The NSW police force confirmed that an investigation was launched after Scott, 71, attacked Ben McDonald, 51, at a ferry wharf in Sydney’s North shore.
Authorities said, “The attack took place around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday morning. McDonald did not need any medical treatment, but was shaken up by the incident.”
McDonald explained that Scott and his daughter Taylor, 34, had been out partying when he was attacked. He explained that Scott charged at him after the father-daughter duo exited their luxury yacht 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 said. “Before I knew it, I was struck on the left side of my face, living behind a very are and ugly mark.”
“I never did anything to provoke Mr. Swift. I’m assuming he misread the situation and thought Taylor needed protected for some reason. In 23 years, I have never seen anything like it,” McDonald added.
However, Taylor’s rep claims that two individuals were aggressively shoving their way towards Taylor, grabbing at her security personnel, and threatening to throw a female staff member into the water.
Photos taken from the time of the alleged incident show Scott and Taylor 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 shined a flashlight at the waiting paparazzi.
Video footage that was captured at the scene shows Taylor and her father exiting the boat and then a security guard asks the photographers 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.
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.
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.
