Image Source: Willy Sanjuan/Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
After hitting a man many times before a flight out of San Francisco last month, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson avoided criminal charges.
The judgment was made after an inquiry by the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office, which said the events leading up to the April 20 confrontation influenced the conclusion.
“The circumstances include the victim’s behavior leading up to the encounter, Mr. Tyson’s interaction with the victim, and both the victim and Mr. Tyson’s requests that no charges be filed in the case,” stated District Attorney Stephen M. Wagstaffe. “This case is now considered closed.”
According to a video released by TMZ last month, Tyson appeared to have repeatedly punched a passenger in the seat behind him on a plane.
According to the district attorney, the event occurred before the flight’s departure from San Francisco International Airport. Representatives for Tyson, 55, described the passenger as “aggressive,” saying he “began pestering [Tyson] and tossed a water bottle at him while he was in his seat,” according to a statement released last month.
During its inquiry, the district attorney’s office claims it reviewed incident reports from the San Francisco Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, as well as film taken by other passengers.
According to the reports, the victim had been drinking and “looked to be drunk,” according to the district attorney. According to the San Francisco Police Department, the victim disclosed “limited facts of the occurrence” to officers who arrived at the scene that day, and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. According to police, two people were apprehended.
According to TMZ, the passenger who Tyson hit was a Florida guy named Melvin Townsend III.
Tyson, who retired from boxing in 2005, is set to battle Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition fight in 2020.
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