Blink 182 star defends paparazzi scuffle

Travis Barker has responded to allegations that he threatened a photographer and slashed his car tyres over the weekend.

The Blink 182 drummer was allegedly involved in the scuffle outside a Californian restaurant during a family outing on February 21.

Footage of the incident posted on TMZ shows Barker apparently stealing a paparazzo's mobile phone and slashing the tyres on his vehicle.

Writing on Twitter, the star claimed that he was "outnumbered" by photographers as he left the restaurant and returned an hour later to confront the snappers.

"When I'm out at breakfast at 8am in the morning the last thing I appreciate is some photographer threatening me to a fight while he's three deep," he said.

"When I defend myself/my kids that don't make me a tough guy (sic). I was outnumbered and threatened so I did what any man would.

"Paparazzi cried like young girls when it was no longer three of them against me and my kids. Didn't they remember threatening me an hour ago? What happened to the tough guys with the cameras? It was gonna be a fair fight.

"Bottom line, take photos at red carpets. Take pics of hungry Hollywood starlets and douche bags that are out at clubs and bars that like it. I'm not a socialite out begging for that kind of attention. I'm a family man out with my kids. Don't get the two twisted.

"All the footage these lames released to the press is one sided cause they edited it."

Barker recently settled a lawsuit with the companies connected to his plane crash in South Carolina last year.