In 2007, Ryan O’Neal was arrested after allegedly shooting a gun at his son, Griffin O’Neal. According to Reuters, the incident occurred at the “Love Story” star’s Malibu home. At the time of his arrest, Ryan was slapped with two charges: assault with a deadly weapon and negligent discharge of a firearm. Griffin’s wife also sustained injuries to her face. In the end, the charges were dropped due to conflicting evidence. While there was no legal battle between Ryan and Griffin, the shocking interaction permanently fractured their relationship. “I don’t have any connection to Griffin at all anymore; I haven’t spoken to him since I fired at him. Not at him; into a banister,” he revealed to Vanity Fair in 2009.
Griffin echoed similar sentiments during a 2009 interview with Larry King. “I can honestly say my dad has not called me once. He has shown zero remorse for the 22 stitches he put in my wife’s face,” he said. “And he showed very little remorse for trying to shoot me in the face.” Unfortunately, time didn’t heal these emotional wounds, with Griffin telling People in 2015 that they were still estranged. “The last time I saw my dad, he shot at me because I was trying to help his son [Redmond] get sober, so I haven’t talked to him in nine years,” he explained.
