April 3, 2026, 10:01 a.m. ET
More details are emerging on an alleged altercation between Backstreet Boys member Brian Littrell and a Florida beachgoer.
The “I Want It That Way” singer, 51, reportedly called 911 following the incident on March 22, and later filed a complaint in Walton County, Florida, according to People and ABC 13.
Though Littrell sought battery charges against a local man whom he said set up a beach chair on his private property and refused to leave, the prosecutor ultimately declined to pursue the case. Now, a video released by ABC 13 is shedding new light on the incident.
In the video, submitted as evidence, Littrell approached a man, identified by the outlet as Kyle Gallagher. Gallagher was sitting on the beach as Littrell videotaped Gallagher with his phone and came within a few inches of his face. The man pushed Littrell’s phone away, and the two began filming each other and hurling expletives.
The boy band member then turned the camera to his own face, laughing and said, “This is what I deal with, people like this,” to which the man responded, “You came and shoved your phone in my face, bro.” The dispute continued, with both men getting heated, and Littrell at one point saying, “You wanna be gay?”
Gallagher argued that Littrell’s property is next to public beach access, while the singer responded, “I can’t wait till this gets out, bro.”
In statements to authorities, both men offered a different version of events, with Littrell characterizing Gallagher as violent and a disturbance to the peace, while Gallagher said he only batted away the singer’s phone out of reflex and being startled.
Walton County Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney Josh Mitchell declined to pursue charges, citing both a lack of criminal intent and the video backing up Gallagher’s version of events, per ABC 13. USA TODAY has reached out to Mitchell’s office as well as the Walton County Sheriff.
In a statement sent to USA TODAY on Friday, April 3, Littrell’s lawyer alleged he is one of several people in the beachfront neighborhood who are frustrated by trespassers.
“Mr. Littrell enjoys positive relationships with his neighbors. They share a common challenge: repeated trespassing by individuals who deliberately enter private property to provoke confrontation,” the singer’s attorney, Peter Ticktin, wrote in the statement. “These incidents have affected multiple homeowners in the area and predate Mr. Littrell’s purchase of his home.”
The statement continued: “A trespasser placed a personal beach chair on Mr. Littrell’s private property and refused to leave. When Mr. Littrell approached him calmly, the trespasser became aggressive and struck Mr. Littrell in the face without provocation. This was an act of battery against a homeowner attempting to protect his property.”
Ticktin pushed back on “the claim that Mr. Littrell used a homophobic slur,” calling it “false.”
“The full video of the encounter shows unequivocally that no such language was used. Sexual orientation played no role in this incident, and any suggestion otherwise is knowingly false,” Ticktin said.
“Mr. Littrell and his family purchased what they saw as their dream home, only to discover an ongoing pattern of trespassing and harassment targeting private property owners along their and their neighbors’ stretch of beach. These actions are not about public access, public beaches exist on both sides of the neighborhood and remain open and uncrowded,” Ticktin continued. “Instead, certain individuals appear intent on challenging the very concept of private property rights.”
