Upset about the way his story has been portrayed by media organizations, singer/producer Teddy Riley decided to come forward with what appears to be the full story behind an alleged altercation with his daughters just before Christmas. Issuing a statement through his reps Jonathan Hay and Greg Bowman, Riley told VIBE that his daughter’s not only hit him but spat on him when he told them to leave his home ! “I felt the need to restrain my children as a disciplinarian parent. I would never hit my daughters out of anger; my only intention was to restrain them from hitting me, with as little force as possible,” Riley told Vibe over the weekend, after a video distributed via TMZ made its way to the net, showcasing the Guy and Blackstreet singer. “To my dismay, they came at me and started hitting me. I tried to hold them back, to calm them down, but Taja hit me in the face. Then Deja came in and started screaming and punching me in the head, so I directed her toward the bed, away from me, and out of harmâs way. At some point, Taja fell against the wall, scraping her face, which is how the bruises on the side of her face were obtained. I did not deliberately push her into a wall, nor did I punch her.” Reportedly arguing in front of guests, including Michael Jackson’s niece, Genevieve Jackson and his mother, Riley says he told his daughters to leave. “I told Taja to leave the house and she started spitting on me. I was thinking, âHow can my child disrespect me in my home? Iâm their father!â Not to mention my own mother was in the house during all this, as was Michael Jacksonâs niece, Genevieve Jackson. I called the police, and Taja and Deja decided to call the police at the same time. They told the police that I had a gun and was holding it to them, which was not true in any way,” says Riley. “There was never a gun, and the idea that I would ever hold a gun to my own flesh and blood is ridiculous and hurtful. The police came — the LAPD with six cars and a helicopter â while I was on the phone with their mother. I had nothing but a cell phone on me, but because my daughters had lied and told them I had a gun, they began shouting at me to get down on the ground or they would shoot. The helicopters had their lights on me as I got down to the ground, face down. They asked me to turn my head to the right, then to the left as they approached me, twisted my arms behind my back and lifted me to my feet. They put me up against my car and explained to me that the girls had called them and told them I had a firearm. I couldnât believe it.” As previously reported, Riley’s daughter Taja was granted a temporary restraining order, requiring her father to stay at least 100 yards away last month. Speaking of his daughters and life since the incident made headlines, including a photograph released by one of his daughters, Riley wishes he had handled the situation better. “The picture that is out right now of my daughter, Taja, is not a true representation of the events that actually occurred on that day. Taja released a photo to the media to suggest that I had caused the bruises to her face. My daughters know the truth; they know that I did not hurt them. But they arestill very angry with me — they even hate me at this point,” says Riley. “And even though I feel justified in attempting to hold them to a certain level of respect in my home, in retrospect, I wouldâve handled this situation much differently. My heart is heavy and it grieves me to watch it play out in the media. I feel sad and humiliated that weâve been put in a situation where itâs necessary for these details to be released to the public, as I am a firm believer that family matters should remain discreet and worked through privately together.â (read Riley’s full statement here).
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