Taylor Swift has rushed out of Australia following allegations that her father, Scott Swift, assaulted a local photographer on Tuesday morning. The New South Wales police department confirmed to Page Six that an investigation into Scott has been launched after he allegedly attacked Ben McDonald, a 51-year-old local photographer, at a Sydney ferry port.
The private jet of the American singer was seen leaving from Sydney Airport shortly after the reported incident. The incident occurred at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The 34-year-old megastar performed her final Eras Tour concert in the city on Monday night. It is believed that Swift's team, including her father, is on board the private jet.
Assaulted and Fled
A New South Wales police spokeswoman told the outlet that while the local police did not confirm that the guy was the singer's father, they said that a 71-year-old man had reportedly assaulted a 51-year-old male near Neutral Bay Wharf at around 2:30 in the morning.
The alleged victim who reported the incident did not need any medical attention, according to the police.
The photographer, Ben McDonald from Matrix Media Group, told the Sunday Morning Herald that he ended up with a "sore left chop" after the confrontation but did not sustain any serious injuries.
"I was just out on the job chasing Taylor," he told the newspaper.
"She got off a super-yacht at Neutral Bay and walked up the wharf with an umbrella over her head and a couple of security [guards] around her. Security sort of pushed us around with the umbrellas. Then her dad decided to add to the mix and throw a punch in."
The photographer said he was still confused what prompted violent outburst. "It was a shock ... There was no need for it, the security had it under control," he said. "I'll leave it in the police's hands now."
Goodbye Australia
Swift concluded her seven sold-out concerts in Melbourne and Sydney during her visit Down Under on Monday night. She now has a few days off before resuming her performances in Singapore on March 2.
Taylor and Scott arrived from Homebush on a luxury superyacht named Quantum before the reported assault. Video footage from the moments preceding the alleged altercation captured Scott walking up the wharf, gesturing toward photographers with the middle finger.
A representative for Swift told Daily Mail Australia that the photographers were acting "aggressively."
"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 said.
Nevertheless, McDonald strongly criticized the statement, dismissing it as "utter rubbish" and pointed out that the only female present at the scene was Taylor.
"This is the sort of bulls**t I might expect,' he said. 'Which female was that? The only one there was Taylor."
Scott has consistently been by his daughter's side during her sold-out Eras tour. He has been praised for distributing sandwiches to fans during a Sydney show with a gesture of "help yourselves."
