The One Direction singer was defending himself, he claims

After a rough ordeal that resulted in his arrest, Louis Tomlinson has released a statement regarding his paparazzi skirmish at Los Angeles International Airport.

On March 4, Tomlinson and his girlfriend, Eleanor Calder, were reportedly provoked by aggressive paps at a LAX terminal. Tomlinson claims that his actions were self-defense, as the paps “provoked and caused the altercation,” and also went after his girlfriend. BuzzFeed News confirmed that Tomlinson’s was a citizens arrest, and that it was carried out by a member of the paparazzi who “fell down” during the incident.

In a statement, Tomlinson’s lawyer, Martin Singer, provides the pop star’s side of the story:

“The paparazzi provoked and caused the altercation that occurred with Louis at the airport this morning. This is not the first or last time that a paparazzi has created an altercation with a celebrity. While the altercation was going on with the paparazzi, three other individuals were attacking his girlfriend during this incident and he came to her defense.”