The runner who allegedly smacked a TV reporter's backside during a Savannah road race has been charged, according to multiple news outlets.
WSAV-TV anchor Alex Bozarjian, who was slapped on the behind while covering the annual Bridge Run last Saturday, filed a sexual battery police report after the incident, which was shown on live TV.
Thomas Callaway was arrested Friday and charged with sexual battery, according to WSAV, Bozarjian’s employer.
Callaway turned himself in at the Chatham County Sheriff's Office on Friday and was released on a $1,300 bond, according to WSAV.
A clip of the incident that was posted to Twitter had been viewed close to 12 million times by Saturday afternoon.
Bozarjian said the person who smacked her “hurt me, both physically and emotionally.”
Online sleuths identified Callaway, according to the New York Post, thanks to his race number shown in other photos.
Callaway’s lawyer, Joseph Turner, called him a “loving husband and father who is very active in his community” and local church, insisting he was “working with those involved to correct the situation,” according to the New York newspaper.
“While we regret the situation, Mr. Callaway did not act with any criminal intentions,” Turner said in a statement.
Bozarjian appeared Tuesday on CBS’ “This Morning” and confirmed Callaway “did try to make contact” with her. “He separates himself from the runners, and he kind of winds up. And he hit me hard,” she said.
The Savannah Sports Council banned the accused runner from participating in future events.
