MALIBU, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 12: Former professional boxer Mike Tyson attends Celebration of Smiles Event hosted by Dionne Warwick on her 81st Birthday to benefit medical charity organization, Operation Smile and The Kind Music Academy on December 12, 2021 in Malibu, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)
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Boxer Mike Tyson has avoided criminal charges for punching a passenger during a flight back in April.
Back in April, a video went viral of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson repeatedly punching a passenger on a JetBlue flight after the individual allegedly threw a water bottle. As for whether the boxer would be charged for the incident, an answer was revealed this week.
On Tuesday, May 10, California prosecutors revealed that Tyson will not be criminally charged for the incident.
“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,” District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said, h/t ESPN’s Mike Coppinger. “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.”
Mike Tyson won’t be criminally charged for punching passenger on flight
Wagstaffe told TMZ that neither Tyson or the passenger, Melvin Townsend III wanted to press charges over the incident.
On the flight from San Francisco International Airport to Florida, Tyson took a photo with Townsend. After the boxer sat down, Townsend stood over Tyson’s seat to talk to him. Tyson’s representatives claimed that Townsend was annoying him and eventually threw a water bottle at the boxer. Townsend denied the water bottle allegations.
After the video had gone viral, no charges will be filed against Tyson.
