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.
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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.
McDonald claims that Scott struck him on the left side of the face, leaving him with “very sore chops.”
However, 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.
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, per photos obtained by the Daily Mail.
They were joined by at least two security guards, one of which pointed a flashlight towards the waiting paparazzi.
The outlet also obtained footage from the alleged attack, showing Swift and her father walking up from the warf while her security personnel used umbrellas to block 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 as the cameraman neared the open car door.
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It’s unclear if the alleged incident will impact the pair’s plans to fly out of the country for Taylor’s next shows in Singapore starting March 2.
Reps for Swift did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
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
Scott was seen passing out sandwiches to hungry concertgoers during the “All Too Well” singer’s show in Sydney Friday night.
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.”
