Conor famously dated Taylor Swift when she was 22 and he was 18 and in high school in 2012, shortly after his mother Mary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he is 'happy' his oldest son was arrested after getting into a fight outside a nightclub and tussling with a police officer, because he was taking a stand against bullying.

John Conor Kennedy was booked by police in the early morning hours of Thursday on a charge of disorderly conduct after brawling with a man outside an exclusive club in the tony resort town of Aspen, Colorado.

The incident started around 1.40am when authorities were called to Bootsy Bellows to escort people out of the venue following last call, and Officer Andy Atkinson witnessed Conor grab another man and 'hit him four or five times in the back of the head with his fists' outside the club.

Conor then tried to break free when Atkinson attempted to restrain him, and another individual had to aid the officer as he pinned down the 22-year-old so he could be put in handcuffs.

Police on the scene later listened as Conor explained that he was attacking the other man because he called his friend a homophobic slur, an explanation that drew praise from his father.

'Conor has always reacted against bullying. I’m happy he stood up for his friend,' Robert Jr. said in a statement to The Aspen Times just hours after the incident.

Conor, who is currently in his third year as a history and literature major at Harvard University, is the the grandson of Ethel and Robert F. Kennedy and the oldest son of Robert Jr. and his second wife, the late Mary Richardson.

Richardson committed suicide in 2012 by hanging herself in a barn at the family's home, two years after Robert Jr. filed for divorce.

That was the same year that Conor made headlines of his own when he began dating Taylor Swift, a romance that bloomed in spite of the fact that the 22-year-old pop star was four years Conor's senior and he was still in high school at Deerfield Academy.

The pair split soon after he returned to the prestigious Massachusetts boarding school at the start of his senior year.

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John Conor Kennedy, 22, (arrest mugshot left) was charged with disorderly conduct in Aspen on Thursday. Police say he 'punched a man five times in the head' and then tussled with Aspen police officer Andy Atkinson (right)

Earlier in the week Conor's half-sister Kick posted a photo of her dad with five of his kids, writing 'big happy family' (l to r: Kick, Aiden, William, Conor, Robert Jr. and Robert III)

Kick also posted a photo of the family at Christmas, which also included her cousin Edward Kennedy III (second left)

Model Bella Hadid was among the A-list names at Bootsy Bellows on Wednesday night when the brawl broke out. Paris Hilton was also at the club earlier this week with her cousins Sophia Umansky and Farrah Aldjufrie.

After Atkinson watched Conor hit the other man during the brawl early Thursday, he ran over to try and separate the two with the help of other officers.

At that point, the two men were rolling on the ground outside the club.

Conor continued to try and fight the other man however according to the police report, and when Atkinson tried to restrain him the 22-year-old threw his body on a snow bank and then stood up and pulled away from the officer.

Atkinson was eventually able to get Conor down on the ground and handcuff him with the help of another individual outside the club.

'I held on to Kennedy's arms and rolled him over with assistance from a bystander on to his stomach,' Atkinson wrote in his official report of the incident.

Conor apologized to Atkinson after he was cuffed, and at that point claimed that the fight began because the other man 'called my friend the f-word.'

Neither of the men were injured in the fight.

He was charged with disorderly conduct, taken to Pitkin County Jail, released without bond and issued with a summons to appear in Aspen Municipal Court on February 22.

If found guilty of disorderly conduct Conor could be facing a penalty of up to a year in jail and up to $2,650 fine.

The incident started around 1.40am when authorities were called to celebrity hot-spot Bootsy Bellows nightclub (file above) to escort people out who would not leave, Aspen police Sgt. Rick Magnuson said

Police say the 22-year-old and another man were fighting in the street and rolling around on the ground outside of club (file above) when Atkinson tried to separate them

Atkinson said: 'I held on to Kennedy's (above in 2014) arms and rolled him over with assistance from a bystander on to his stomach'

A family spokesperson said of the incident: 'Multiple witnesses to the incident have reported that two men assaulted Conor Kennedy after he rebuked them for directing a homophobic slur and threats to his close friend.

'They also report that Mr. Kennedy was cooperative, compliant and respectful towards the police from the moment they arrived on the scene.

'Mr. Kennedy looks forward to a full airing of the incident.'

Conor's father also voiced his high praise for the Aspen officers after the incident, noting their quick response when his brother Michael was killed in 1997 after crashing into a tree while playing football on skis at one of the resort town's slopes.

'The Aspen Police have been extraordinary to my family,' said Robert Jr.

'When my brother was killed, they were on the scene and treated us with incredible kindness my family will never forget.'

Michael was just 39 at the time.

He passed away just a few months after it was revealed that he had been having a three-year affair with his family's former babysitter, which began when she was just 14.

Michael claimed he had not had sex with the babysitter until she was 16 however, and the young girl refused to cooperate with authorities so charges were never filed in the case.

Soon after the news broke of his affair Michael's wife Victoria, who is the daughter of the late Frank Gifford, separated from him while he checked into rehab.

Photos on social media show that model Bella Hadid (second left) was at Bootsy Bellows in Aspen the same evening as Kennedy

Paris Hilton was at the same club earlier this week with her cousins Sophia Umansky and Farrah Aldjufrie (pictured together above at Bootsy Bellows in Aspen)

Kennedy is the oldest son of Robert Kennedy Jr. and his second wife Mary Richardson. He is pictured with his mother above in 2009. She died in an apparent suicide in in 2012

This is not the first time Kennedy has been arrested. Back in 2013 police in Washington, D.C. arrested him outside of the White House during a protest.

In addition, the Kennedy scion dated singer Taylor Swift when she was aged 22 and he was 18 and still in high school in 2012.

Their relationship began soon after the death of Conor's mother in May of that year.

The former couple first met o ver Fourth of July weekend when his aunt Rory, a documentary filmmaker, invited Swift to the family compound.

The two were frequently photographed together the rest of the summer as they spent time on the Cape and near his home in Mount Kisco, New York.

Swift even bought a house near the Kennedy family compound weeks after meeting Conor, plunking down a reported $4.8million for an oceanfront residence boasting seven bedrooms and stunning views.

The relationship between the pair fizzled out by the end of the summer when Conor returned to school and Swift began promoting her new album at the time, Red.

Swift sold the Hyannis Port home she bought in early 2013, making a tidy profit of $1million, and soon after shelled out a little less than $18million for her massive 11,000 square foot home in Watch Hill.

This is not the first time Kennedy, who formerly dated Taylor Swift in 2012, has been arrested. In 2013 police in Washington, D.C. arrested him outside of the White House during a protest. The former couple is pictured above in 2012

While they dated, Swift was often spotted at his family's compound throughout the summer of 2012 in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts (above)

Swift even bought a house near the Kennedy family compound weeks after meeting Conor, but sold the home in early 2013 after their relationship ended. They are pictured above in 2012

He had also just lost his mother Mary less than two months before he began dating Swift.

At the time of her death Richardson and Robert Jr. were two years into their contentious divorce.

Richardson was arrested for drunk driving three days after Robert Jr. filed divorce papers in 2010, and at one point lost custody of her four children.

There were rumors at the time that Robert Jr. had been having an affair with his now-wife Cheryl Hines, and in the weeks before Richardson's suicide the two had begun to make their relationship public by walking red carpet together at events.

Richardson's lawyers also stated in court papers filed after her death that Robert Jr. had cut off her credit cards and refused to pay her legal bills despite a court order, leaving her broke.

She was found in the barn by a housekeeper and her cause of death was determined to be 'asphyxiation by hanging.'

Conor was appointed the executor of his mother's estate as the oldest child.