Photo: The Canadian Press
Authorities will not file criminal charges against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson after he was videotaped hitting another first-class passenger aboard a plane at San Francisco International Airport last month, prosecutors said Tuesday.
The San Mateo County Attorney’s Office said it had closed the case and decided not to be charged based on “the circumstances of the confrontation.”
“These include the victim’s behavior that led to the incident, the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim, and the demands of both the victim and Mr. Tyson not to be charged in this case,” said District Attorney Stephen Wagstaff. in a statement.
Earlier, police said the victim provided little details about the quarrel and refused to cooperate with the investigation.
Tyson’s representatives said earlier that the boxer was on a flight with “an aggressive passenger who started harassing him and threw a bottle of water at him while he was in place.”
The April 20 video shows Tyson leaning over the back of his seat, repeatedly hitting the unidentified man in the head, drawing blood. The footage was first shared by TMZ, who said they were recorded on a Jet Blue plane traveling to Florida.
Prior to the physical altercation, the other passenger was seen in the video standing over Tyson’s seat, waving his arms and talking briskly while the former boxer sat quietly.
Tyson’s lawyers praised the district attorney’s decision in a statement Tuesday, thanking law enforcement for “careful, diligent and professional work.”
Another flight passenger, Sarah Birchfield, told SFGate that she saw the man Tyson hit at an airport bar earlier look strong and quarrelsome.
“When I got on the flight, I thought, ‘Oh no, this drunk man is on our flight,'” Burchfield told the media.
Since retiring from boxing, Tyson, 55, has worked as an actor, podcast and cannabis entrepreneur. He was in San Francisco in April for the annual Cannabis Festival 420 at Golden Gate Park, where he promoted his cannabis brand Tyson 2.0, SFGate reported.
Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history in 1987 at the age of 20. During his career he has 50 victories, 44 of which by knockout.
In the 1990s, Tyson spent three years in prison after being convicted of rape. In this case, he maintains his innocence.
Tyson was briefly banned from boxing after shamefully biting off part of Evander Holyfield’s ear during a 1997 fight.
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