Screenshot / CBS This Morning
Tommy Callaway, a 43-year-old youth minister, slapped the butt of a Savannah, GA reporter on-air while she was covering an area fun run. After being outed as the assaulter, Callaway offered up a pretty lame excuse: he was “caught up in the moment.”
To the man who smacked my butt on live TV this morning: You violated, objectified, and embarrassed me. No woman should EVER have to put up with this at work or anywhere!! Do better. https://t.co/PRLXkBY5hn
— Alex Bozarjian (@wsavalexb) December 7, 2019
Social media sleuths identified Callaway by his race number from the video of the slap which was viewed more than 11 million times on social media. In an interview with Inside Edition, Callaway calls his assault on the reporter a “misjudge in character.”
“I touched her back. I did not know exactly where I touched her. I did not see her facial reaction as I just kept on running, and if I did see her facial reaction I would have been embarassed. I would’ve felt ashamed. I would have stopped, turned around and apologized to her.”
CBS This Morning anchors point out that Callaway didn’t actually apologize in his statement. The reporter, Alex Bozarjian, has filed a police report.
The man accused of slapping @wsavalexb's backside while she was on the air is telling his side of the story.
In an interview with @InsideEdition, 43-year-old Tommy Callaway says he went to wave to the camera and got caught up in the moment. pic.twitter.com/8zQsnZ7HWs
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) December 11, 2019