Alan Ritchson Says Fight With Neighbor Was The Scariest Thing He's Been Through

Alan Ritchson is setting the record straight about his infamous fight with his neighbor ... saying it was "the scariest thing" he's ever been through.

The "Reacher" star told Dax Shepard his neighbor has been lying through his teeth ... insisting he'd never met the guy until the incident and wasn't approached the day before the fight about speeding through the suburbs ... contrary to what the guy told us.

Instead, Alan explained on "Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard" that he was riding with his kids back in March when Ronnie Taylor got in his face.

You'll recall ... Ronnie previously joined us on "TMZ Live" and shared his side of things ... claiming he was fed up with how fast Alan and his kids were allegedly through the neighborhood.

The way the actor explains it ... Ronnie's the instigator, not him.

Alan says, at one point, Ronnie allegedly "two-handed shoves" him off the bike.

In that moment, he says his priority was to protect himself and his children ... by swinging at his neighbor.