Ryan O’Neal Claims Self-Defense

By: Shannon Gossage

Ryan O’Neal was arrested early Saturday morning after police and paramedics were called to his residence after a fight with his adult son, Griffin. Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. John Benedict said that they were responding to a call about a "suspected battery" when they arrived at O’Neal’s Malibu home at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Saturday. Benedict said, "Deputies determined that Mr. Griffin O’Neal was assaulted by his father during a family dispute." He was booked at Malibu-Lost Hills sheriff’s station on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and negligent discharge of a firearm. He was released on $50,000 bail at 5:30 a.m.

O’Neal, 65, claims that he fired a gun in self-defense to keep his son Griffin from striking him with a fireplace poker. O’Neal said that he had returned to his Malibu home on Saturday night with a group of people that included his former flame Farrah Fawcett. The group had been out celebrating Fawcett’s 60th birthday and also the fact that she just learned she is cancer free after four months of intensive treatment. Griffin, 42, was visiting and allegedly grabbed a fireplace poker and began swinging it around. O’Neal said Griffin "aimed at my head, I ducked, he hit his own girlfriend in the head." O’Neal went on to say, "I got a little nervous at that point and fled to my room…and got my gun." He claims that Griffin began to climb the stairs with the poker. O’Neal said, "So I just fired it into the banister, and that scared him and he fled."

O’Neal’s manager Neil Hassman said in a statement released Monday, "It is unfortunate that what should have been an internal family disagreement was escalated to the point that Ryan felt he had to defend himself from Griffin’s aggressive, extremely menacing physical behavior." Griffin’s girlfriend, who is reportedly pregnant, was slightly injured during the altercation. She was treated at the local hospital and released. Griffin O’Neal has reportedly not commented on the incident. He has had a history of drug and alcohol abuse, but it has not been determined of he was under the influence of either substance at the time of the incident.