Influencer apologises for teenage hitting incident

A SOCIAL media influencer has apologised after footage appearing to show him hitting a teenager on a Carmarthenshire high street went viral.

More than two million people have watched a video of the altercation involving Cal the Dragon.

Cal, who has 1.7 million followers on TikTok, seemed to be taking pictures with fans in St Catherine Street, Carmarthen, last Saturday when a teenage boy appeared to lift a baseball cap from the 22-year-old’s head.

Footage taken by a bystander appeared to show Cal hitting the boy and holding on to him before another man repeatedly said “Cal, let him go” and the pair separated.

The TikTok creator tweeted the next day: “I hope that kid is OK after my stupid actions.” In another tweet he wrote: “I can’t blame autism on everything, it’s an excuse which I can’t make anymore. It’s all my fault and I’ve all respect from everyone because of my actions.”

He later posted a video in which he said: “I can’t sleep. This is the second night that I just can’t seem to settle, just thinking of my stupid and selfcentred actions of what I did. I don’t know how I can put things right. I think I’ve blown it. I know I’ve blown it... I’ve let a lot of parents down. .”

Cal, from Nottingham, has amassed 77 million likes on his TikTok channel, which documents his work to fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He has spoken about his aim of being a goalkeeper for Scunthorpe United by 2026.