Popular homosexual YouTuber Calum McSwiggan reportedly faked an alleged hate crime attack on himself in West Hollywood on Monday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
“Last night was the worst night of my life and I’m really struggling to find the words to talk about it. After one of the most wonderful weekends at VidCon we went out to a gay club to celebrate, and towards the end of the evening I was separated from my friends and beaten up by three guys,” claimed McSwiggan on his Instagram account, along with a picture showing him in a hospital.
“The authorities should have been there to help and protect me but instead they treated me like a second class citizen,” he claimed. “With three broken teeth and six stitches in my forehead, I’ve never felt so terrified to be a gay man in the public eye. All I can do is thank my wonderful friends @riyadhk, @melaniiemurphy and @douga_ for being with me the whole way.”
The post garnered thousands of likes and comments of support, however a different story was soon revealed.
Captain Holly M. Perez of the West Hollywood Police Station claims that they “were unable to substantiate the assault” and that McSwiggan “had no visible injuries” at their time of investigation. Police soon arrested McSwiggan however after he was seen by deputies vandalizing a car, and the YouTuber ended up being processed with a mugshot and given a cell for the night.
West Hollywood Police officers “then observed [McSwiggan] injuring himself with the handle and receiver to a payphone inside the cell.” After breaking his teeth and piercing his forehead, McSwiggan was quickly sent to the local hospital.
“Medical personnel were summoned and Mr. McSwiggan was transported to a local hospital for treatment,” claims the police statement. It was then that the YouTuber posted a picture of his injuries, whilst his mugshot shows him in a healthy and unharmed condition.
“Mr. McSwiggan’s booking photo was taken prior to deputies seeing Mr. McSwiggan injuring himself,” reported the police station in a statement to The Advocate, confirming the captain’s claims that McSwiggan was unharmed at the time of his arrest.
“I saw Cal screaming crying after the attack. He didn’t fake it,” wrote one of McSwiggan’s friends in a tweet, acknowledging that he didn’t witness the actual events.
“I’ve been told to say nothing before court tomorrow but staying silent here is killing us. If you’re a friend just DM me for the truth,” announced McSwiggan on Twitter last night, before refusing to tweet anything else.
Since the police statement has surfaced, McSwiggan has received hundreds of angry comments and replies from the public who have expressed disappointment in the YouTuber. “Shame on you for trying to victimize yourself for attention,” commented one user on the Instagram picture. “You are a very ill person and are in need of serious mental help. I hope you seek it out,” wrote another.
Charlie Nash is a reporter for Breitbart Tech and former editor of the Squid Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter @MrNashington or like his page at Facebook.