Police: Gay YouTube Star Faked Hate Crime Against Himself

Calum McSwiggan, an LGBT lifestyle YouTuber, posted a picture on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter saying that he had been the victim of an anti-gay attack in West Hollywood. McSwiggan claimed to have been attacked by three men and suffered broken teeth and required stitches.

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. All I can do is thank my wonderful friends @riyadhk, @melaniiemurphy and @douga_ for being with me the whole way. I'd be lost without them. Right now I don't feel that I'm in the right place to talk about this but I will be addressing this fully in the future.

A photo posted by LGBT+ Lifestyle YouTuber ?? (@calummcswiggan) on Jun 27, 2016 at 7:03pm PDT

According to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, however, the only person bashing McSwiggan was himself. A statement released by the department said that McSwiggan's injuries were self-inflicted, and a booking photo seems to corroborate this claim. McSwiggan was arrested for vandalizing a car.

“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.”

The booking photo:

Hate crime hoaxes, like this seems to be, only make it that much harder for actual victims of crimes to be believed. This doesn't help promote any agenda except one of attention-seeking and narcissism.

McSwiggan tweeted that he has been told to not comment on the events. He's not seeing much support on Twitter. (language warning)

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.
— Calum McSwiggan (@CalumMcSwiggan) June 29, 2016

Examples:

If Calum McSwiggan DID fake being attacked, and beat himself in a cell, it's REALLY low and disrespecful to the #LGBT community.
— Christopher D. Clegg (@chrisdclegg) June 29, 2016

LGBT YouTuber #CalumMcSwiggan bashed HIMSELF after getting arrested! Here's the proof! https://t.co/V3DT0y2iuT pic.twitter.com/PIvsUkHwNh
— Perez Hilton (@PerezHilton) June 29, 2016

Even if Calum McSwiggan isn't lying about the hate crime, the fact people think he is lying says a lot about how he handles himself
— ????? (@lxthrdg) June 29, 2016

And the @CalumMcSwiggan tale thickens... pic.twitter.com/WfKmjvvPQi
— WeHo Confidential (@WHconfidential) June 29, 2016

What an #idiot. Shame on u @CalumMcSwiggan. Thnx 4 adding 2 bad rep for #LGBTQ peeps.https://t.co/rTmeEb65KS
— Armand Cucciniello (@ArmandVC3) June 29, 2016