Bryshere Gray -- aka Yazz, aka Hakeem Lyon on "Empire" -- told cops he engaged in a food fight with a 7-Eleven clerk ... after she falsely accused him of spitting on the floor.
According to police body cam footage -- obtained by TMZ -- the actor was questioned about his altercation inside the Orlando store last month, which Gray claims started because the guy he was with spit on the floor and the cashier didn't approve. Imagine that.
Bryshere says she snapped, and even after he started cleaning up his friend's spit she continued to bark at him ... and then allegedly threw something at him.
Yazz says he returned fire by hurling a bag of chips at her before deciding to leave ... and he's sure the store's security footage will back up his claim she attacked first.
However, the clerk clearly points the finger at the "Empire" star as the spitter when she speaks with police, and tells them she wants to press charges because he cussed her out and threw stuff at her first. She's also confident the cameras will prove her right.
Law enforcement sources tell us no arrests were made due to the conflicting statements and a lack of physical injuries ... but the clerk does want to press charges. Gray told cops he didn't want to go that route.
We're told surveillance footage is still being reviewed.