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Calum McSwiggan, a British YouTube star who posts frequently about his life in the LGBT community, claims he was brutally attacked early Monday morning in West Hollywood after the VidCon convention, and claims he was targeted for being gay. But police are casting doubt on his claims, saying he actually injured himself.
McSwiggan posted a photo of himself injured in a hospital bed and told his story on Facebook:
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. The authorities should have been there to help and protect me but instead they treated me like a second class citizen. 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.
[facebook ]https://www.facebook.com/eatgaylove/photos/a.512799092134990.1073741828.512797322135167/1070541839694043/?type=3&theater[/facebook]
But now, authorities are saying that the real story is a lot different. Captain Holly Perez of the West Hollywood Sheriff's Station told WeHoville that they did not see any cuts, bruises, or other proof of an attack. The Sheriff's Department elaborated in a statement:
Responding deputies were unable to substantiate the assault. Mr. McSwiggan, who had no visible injuries, was subsequently arrested after deputies observed him vandalizing a car in the 8900 block of Santa Monica Boulevard. After being booked and photographed, Mr. McSwiggan was placed into a cell by himself at West Hollywood Station. Mr. McSwiggan was then observed injuring himself with the handle and receiver to a payphone inside the cell. Medical personnel were summoned and Mr. McSwiggan was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
McSwiggan and his friends have denied that he faked his injuries, but say they can't say much publicly due to legal reasons. One friend who says he was with him, Riyadh Khalaf, tweeted that they believe McSwiggan's attackers targeted him specifically and knew where he was because of their social media posts that night.
Update 6/29, 4:20 p.m: McSwiggan has released a lengthy statement about Monday's events. He said that he left a bar with a man who was flirting with him. They went to his car, and suddenly he punched McSwiggan in the face, breaking his tooth. McSwiggan then said he kicked the man's car mirror and scratched the car out of "rage." Police did not believe he had been attacked because he had no visual injuries, and arrested him for the vandalism.
"In a moment of desperation to get out of the cell, I took the pay phone off the wall and hit myself once across the forehead with it as hard as I could," he wrote. "I knew I had to injure myself to get out of the cell and into a hospital, and it was the only solution I could find to get myself out of there." He said he appeared in court Wednesday morning, but there was no record of his case.
"Many people are trying to discredit my story but this is the full and entire truth. Just because there were no visible marks on my face does not mean I was not attacked," he added. "Being accused of being a liar and being called a disgrace to the LGBT+ community, a community I've dedicated my life to, is more painful than any hate crime could ever be."
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