SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – An incident involving WSAV’s reporter Alex Bozarjian is getting nationwide attention.
Many may already know that Bozarjian was reporting live at the Enmarket Savannah Bridge Run when an incident took place involving one of the runners.
A video from Saturday’s live report has now been viewed millions of times online.
In the video, a man in a long-sleeved blue shirt moves behind her and appears to hit her on her backside.
Bozarjian says he indeed did slap her — and hard enough that it not only startled her but physically hurt her.
“He separates himself from the runners and he kind of winds up and, you know, he hit me hard,” Bozarjian said on “CBS This Morning.”
There’s been enough attention drawn to the incident on social media that she appeared on the morning show Tuesday to discuss what happened.
“It was extremely vulnerable,” Bozarjian said, adding, “I would say that the reason why maybe it caught so much fire is because the emotion is extremely relatable for women all over the world.”
To watch Bozarjian’s full interview on “CBS This Morning,” visit here.
The man at the center of this has been identified as Thomas Callaway. News 3 sat down with him on Tuesday.
He told us this should never have happened and he’s sorry.
“I’m thankful for this opportunity to share my apology to her and to her family, her friends and her co-workers,” Callaway said. “It was an awful act and an awful mistake.”
“I am not that person that people are portraying me as. I make mistakes, I’m not perfect and I’m asking for forgiveness and to accept my apology,” he added.
Callaway says he was caught up in the moment but he regrets that the publicity about the race centered on his actions and not on the event itself.
Meanwhile, the Savannah Sports Council, which organized Saturday’s run, is banning Callaway from future events — something he says he accepts.
Bozarjian has filed a report with the Savannah Police Department.
WSAV has issued the following statement regarding the incident:
The conduct displayed by one man toward Alex Bozarjian during her live coverage of Saturday’s Savannah Bridge Run was reprehensible and completely unacceptable.
No one should ever be disrespected in this manner. The safety and protection of our employees is WSAV-TV’s highest priority.
WSAV supports Alex completely as she determines the steps she wants to take next.
