Mike Tyson: Boxing great Mike Tyson won't be charged for punching fellow airline passenger

Boxing legend Mike Tyson will not face charges after he was involved in a mid-flight scuffle last month that left another airline passenger bloodied.
Mike Tyson won't be charged for punching a JetBlue passenger.Mike Tyson won't be charged for punching a JetBlue passenger.
Mike Tyson won't be charged for punching a JetBlue passenger.

Northern California authorities announced they have closed their investigation and won’t file any charges against Tyson or the passenger involved.

In a video that went viral, the former World Heavyweight champion was seen repeatedly punching a fellow JetBlue passenger on a flight from San Francisco, California, to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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Earlier claims had pointed to the fact that Tyson had been harassed – and the latest statement from the San Mateo County District Attorney, published in USA Today, confirms these claims have been proven accurate.

“We have reviewed the police reports of the San Francisco Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and have viewed the various videos collected by law enforcement from others on the airplane,” said San Mateo County District Attorney, Steven Wagstaffe.

“Our decision is that we will not file any charges against Mr Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation.

“These include the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident, the interaction between Mr Tyson and the victim, as well as the requests of both the victim and Mr Tyson that no charges be filed in this case.”

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Mike Tyson incident: Mike Tyson repeatedly punches man aboard plane, TMZ reports
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Following the incident, a witness on the plane told TMZ that Tyson, who dominated the heavyweight scene for almost 20 years, was initially happy to pose for photographs with fans. But one man continued talking in his ear, which appeared to irritate him before punches flew.

The source told TMZ that the man who was irking Tyson was extremely intoxicated.

TMZ went on to say the man who was punched needed medical attention and talked to the police after the incident.

Tyson, now 55, is the youngest boxer to win a world heavyweight title after his destruction of Trevor Berbick in 1986 aged 20.

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He hung up his gloves in 2006, but returned to the ring in November 2020 for a bout with Roy Jones Jr, which ended in a draw.

The former boxer played a fictionalised version of himself in 2009 comedy The Hangover and he teamed up with director Spike Lee for a Broadway show in 2012.