Mel Gibson acknowledges that he slapped former girlfriend and baby mama Oksana during an altercation on January 6, but says he didn't punch her as alleged by her.
In a sworn declaration filed in court and signed on June 23, 2010, Gibson claims he slapped Oksana for the safety of their daughter Lucia because Oksana was hysterical and was endangering the child.
"I slapped Oksana one time with an open hand in an attempt to bring her back to reality. I did not slap her hard, I was just trying to shock her so that she would stop screaming, continuing shaking Lucia back and forth."
"While I do not believe I handled the situation as well as I should have, I was worried about the rough way Oksana was shaking and tossing Lucia around," Gibson adds.
"There was never any blood on Oksana and none of her teeth were 'broken,' although one of the false veneers from a tooth apparently did come off, I did not see that occur at the time."
Mel denies he touched Lucia during the altercation.
Mel's declaration has been obtained by TMZ and published on their website.
