Meghan Markle’s cousin, Tyler Dooley, was reportedly involved in a massive fist fight over the weekend, hours before the duchess gave birth to the new royal baby.
Dooley, 26, has found his way into the spotlight through his royal connections before. Now, the attention is less savory, as The Sun reports that he was injured in a massive brawl this weekend involving no less than 20 men. Police in Oregon said that Dooley was “shoved to the ground” in the chaos.
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The fight went down in front of a bar called The Wonder Bur Lounge in Grant Pass, Oregon. There have been no arrests so far, although the disturbance was big enough to warrant police attention.
“Units responded to a physical disturbance at the location involving 15 to 20 people,” said a police spokesman. “Suspects were unknown and [Mr.] Dooley was shoved to the ground.”
Dooley, a 26-year-old cannabis farmer, told reporters that the version of events described by the police was “not entirely accurate.” He said that he was not injured “during a fight” but declined to specify what had actually happened.
“I’m not a victim. The disturbance is completely separate from me,” he said.
Dooley has raised eyebrows in recent months thanks to his association with Markle and her family. He has not exactly been the picture of royal decorum, although he was a cast member on MTV‘s reality series The Royal World.
Last May, Dooley even had a run-in with the police during a visit to London to celebrate Markle’s wedding. He was carrying an antique Buck knife with a three-and-a-half-inch blade when he attempted to enter the Bacchus nightclub at the time. Bouncers confiscated the knife, and Dooley later told reporters that it had been a simple lapse in memory.
“It was a complete accident. I’m a hunter and a fisherman, so I carry the knife around with me at home,” he said. “I had no idea it was in my trousers when I was in London. We were in line at the club and everyone was getting searched. I felt around and realised the knife was in my pocket, so I asked the security guy if he could hang onto it for me.”
“He looked at me like I was crazy โ like I had just committed murder!” Dooley went on. “In the States I have a handgun on me every single day. It is normal โ we live in the country.”
Dooley is reportedly recovering from an injured leg after this weekend’s fight.