Actor O'Neal escapes shooting charge

US actor Ryan O’Neal will not be charged for firing “a warning shot” during a brawl with his son in Los Angeles earlier this year, prosecutors said.

Witnesses to the February 3 shooting at O’Neal’s Malibu home gave conflicting accounts to authorities, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the district attorney’s office.

O’Neal, 66, contended he fired the shot in self-defence after his son, Griffin O’Neal, attacked him with a fireplace poker during an argument.

Ryan O’Neal, who starred in Love Story, suffered bruises to his arms and legs when he was struck several times, Werksman claimed.

Griffin O’Neal was not arrested or charged.