Taylor Swift’s Dad Accused of Assaulting Photographer, Team Claims He Was Responding to a Threat

Thania Garcia

Taylor Swift’s team has responded to claims of her father Scott Swift allegedly assaulting a 51-year-old man.

After reports claimed Scott, attacked a photographer who was looking to get close to Swift, a representative for the pop singer told Variety that at the time of the alleged incident, two people were lunging towards Swift and threatened a member of her staff.

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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,” the spokesperson said.

The New South Wales Police Force has not yet confirmed Scott’s involvement, but a representative for the unit told Variety a 71-year-old man assaulted a 51-year-old man at Neutral Bay Wharf in Sydney at 2:30 a.m. Scott is 71 years old, and the Daily Mail was the first to identify the 51-year-old as photographer Ben McDonald. No medical assistance was required but police say the younger man reported the incident.

TMZ also published a video of a man resembling Scott walking along a pier with a woman who appears to be Swift. When a photographer begins to take photos, another member of Swift’s team blocks the camera with an umbrella and the men exchange unintelligible words (though it sounds as if someone is repeating “Wasn’t me”) in aggressive tones.

Swift has been playing a string of shows in the city for her “Eras Tour,” having just recently completed her seventh Australian date in Sydney. The show drew in stars Katy Perry and Rita Ora, along with Swift’s boyfriend and Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce.

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