A man who slapped a reporter’s bottom live on air has been arrested for sexual battery, police have said.

A video showing Alex Bozarjian’s broadcast of a race showed one passing runner appear to swat her from behind as she was reporting in the state of Georgia in US.

“You violated, objectified, and embarrassed me,” she wrote afterwards on Twitter. “No woman should EVER have to put up with this at work or anywhere!! Do better.”

Ms Bozarjian, a reporter for the station WSAV-TV, told police the man had slapped and then grabbed her buttocks.

Thomas Callaway stepped forward earlier this week as the man who slapped Ms Bozarjian and went to the TV station to give an on-camera apology.

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“It was an awful act and an awful mistake,” he said.

Bianca Johnson, a spokesperson for Savannah police, said Mr Callaway has been charged in connection with the incident during the Savannah Bridge Run.​

Sexual battery is a misdemeanour in Georgia and punishable by up to a year in prison.

State law defines the crime as making “physical contact with the intimate parts of the body of another person without the consent of that person”.

The Savannah television station called the conduct shown towards its reporter “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.”