Taylor Swift's father Scott has been accused of punching a photographer in Australia as the pop star and her entourage disembarked a yacht in the early morning hours of Tuesday, Feb. 27.
The New South Wales Police Force told Q they're currently investigating the allegations made by paparazzi Ben McDonald, the CEO of Matrix Media Group AU.
The incident happened shortly after Swift wrapped up the Australian leg of her Eras Tour at Sydney's Accor Stadium.
The alleged attack happened as the pop star and her entourage were disembarking a boat in Sydney.
"Police have been told a 71-year-old man allegedly assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf about 2.30am (Tuesday 27 February 2024), before leaving the location," police said.
"The younger man reported the incident and inquiries are now underway by officers attached to North Shore Police Area Command. The man did not require medical treatment."
A spokesperson for Swift provided their own account of the incident to Business Insider.
"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," they claimed in a statement.
McDonald disputed that narrative during an interview with The Daily Mail.
"This is the sort of bulls**t I might expect," he said. "Which female was that? The only one there was Taylor."
He claimed that Swift's security team started the scuffle by shoving umbrellas at his camera.
"In 23 years, I haven't been assaulted and punched in the chops, particularly by the talent's dad," McDonald told the Associated Press.
"Someone else came running at me and punched me in the left side of my face. Initially, I thought it was an Australian security that was trying to be the hero of the moment in the front of the Americans, but as it turned out it was her father," he added. "We didn't go rushing down the jetty. We didn't go rushing to the back of the boat. We waited for her to come up. Kept it very civil."
McDonald claims he has video footage to prove he wasn't acting aggressively.
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'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,' a spokesperson for Swift claimed.
This is not the first time the photographer has landed in hot water with a celebrity. Actress Nicole Kidman managed to get a temporary restraining order against McDonald after a listening device was discovered outside her Sydney home in 2005.
"Nicole would like to make it clear that she acknowledges she is a public figure and that reporters and photographers have a job to do and she respects that," she said in a statement provided to The Telegraph at the time.
"However, these are specific actions against two individuals who, over a period of time, have caused her to feel threatened, intimidated and unable to leave her home without fearing for her safety."
At the time, a lawyer for McDonald claimed the allegations were false: "He denies emphatically he has anything to do with planting any listening device."
McDonald claims he has video footage that shows he wasn't acting aggressively.
McDonald and representatives for Swift didn't immediately respond to Q's requests for comment.
Several Australian artists, including Paul Kelly and the Screaming Jets, recently covered Swift tracks in honor of her tour down under.
The pop star's new album Tortured Poets Department is due out on April 19.
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