EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to include an official statement by the Sheriff’s Department.
A British YouTube personality’s allegation that he was brutally beaten in West Hollywood’s gay nightlife area early Monday morning has sparked coverage on LGBT websites in the United States and abroad.
But there are indications, according to the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station, that Calum McSwiggan’s claims might not be true.
“Last night was the worst night of my life and I’m really struggling to find the words to talk about it,” McSwiggan said in a post on his Facebook page. “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.”
McSwiggan said he had attended VidCon, an annual online video conference in Anaheim, and then went with friends to The Abbey in West Hollywood on Sunday night. McSwiggan said that he was beaten up after leaving the Robertson Boulevard bar about 2:30 a.m. Monday morning.
“The authorities should have been there to help and protect me but instead they treated me like a second class citizen,” McSwiggan said on Facebook. “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.”
However Capt. Holly Perez of the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station said deputies who examined McSwiggan saw no cuts, bruises or other evidence that he had been attacked.
McSwiggan said online that he was assaulted by three men he did not know after leaving The Abbey. In an official statement on the matter, the Sheriff’s Department said: “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 is known for his online chronicles of the trials and tribulations of his life. Among other things, he has discussed his experience with depression. McSwiggan also has a large YouTube following, with more than 450,000 views of a video of him confessing and apologizing for appearing in a porn video.
McSwiggan’s allegation that he was beaten has been reported on gay sites such as Towleroad, the UK’s PinkNews and LGBTQ Nation. Posts on Twitter and Facebook by people who say they are friends of McSwiggan alleged the attack was premeditated and carried out by people who followed McSwiggan on social media, with many claiming that the alleged attack was a gay hate crime.
loser. the Emergency room is for real emergencies, they should have taken him to a psych unit.
His sex tape has now been leaked as well (can be easily googled now). I guess he is going for the full “Kardasian” in order to elevate his name while he remains in America. A bizarre kid.
Can we not refer to him as a “gay youtube celebrity?” He’s a nobody who has a bunch of nobodies following him on the most basic website for basic people. He’s not a celebrity.
Kathleen – a crime on a Metro platform happened in LA. That is under the jurisdiction of the LAPD, not the LA Co Sheriff’s Dept. All they could do is give them a number for some place else to report this. There are no Metro platforms in West Hollywood. I am sure there are cases of inadequate response, but let’s not pile on for them doing the right thing when a crime outside their jurisdiction is reported.
This recalls a stunt pulled by another attention whore, Mason Wyler (James Wallace) when he claimed he was gang-raped by Marines at Ft. Hood, failing to appreciate that Hood is an army base (oops!) He posted pictures of himself taken a few months earlier when he was treated at an ED for an infected bug bite or something.
Can you imagine the gall of that elitist anti-American snot visiting the U.S. and then lying and wasting law enforcement’s time??? When we’re still suffering from a very real anti-gay massacre ? He and his clique need to be permanently banned from the country.
I never heard of him but I looked at his videos and he’s just a big phony who plays up his victimhood in order to become a role model/inspiration. He’s actually just an airhead whose previous job was low-budget bareback porn. You have to be retarded to subscribe to his blog.
that photo of him in the hospital bed? the wrist band is from the jail, not Cedars
I had an experience with the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station where I drove a friend to report an attack that happened on the Metro platform. While my friend described the attack, the officer wrote on a slip of paper. Afterward, the officer handed me the slip with an adress of another station on Imperial Highway where he said we’d have to go to report the attack. I found out from later this was a complete lie. You can report a Metro crime at any sheriff’s station supposedly. But West Hollywood Station officers do not want to bother to get out… Read more »
Another man-child trying to pump his fame with a false report. His online career is over. McWiggan, welcome to adulthood and mediocrity.
Note the abrasion on his neck in both photos. So he got into a fight outside The Abbey. (his friend corroborating that there was a fight) The police came and decided no harm no foul. He got angry that the police wasn’t going to arrest the other party, so he took out his anger on some cars. Then the police arrested him for vandalism. (“being treated like a second class citizen”) He then though “You don’ t know who you’re messing with. I have millions of followers. I’ll show you.” And he did.
We not only need to follow up on this, but we need to follow up on everything. Hate crimes are happening in West Hollywood and that is a fact. You can lie all you want about this town, but it is not safe. Period. I have been a victim myself and had this community turn on me with not one single person asking for my side of the story. If you are going to play the nasty bitch role, make sure you have the balls to find out the facts. Too many people get hurt here. Public safety is at… Read more »