Orlando Was "Inappropriate" in Club

TMZ has learned that the man seen in a minor confrontation with Orlando Bloom just minutes before he was in a car accident -- is fashion photographer Damon Kidwell.

We're told Kidwell and his ex-girlfriend, model Veronica Taylor, were inside the club when Bloom "grabbed [Taylor] inappropriately." We hear Bloom was acting up and followed the two outside -- angering Kidwell. Bloom then got into Kidwell's car, uninvited. We're told "the only reason there wasn't a fight is because of the cameras." Kidwell, as you can see in the video, was pissed.

Our sources tell us Kidwell and Taylor dated for three years, but are now "good friends."