California Prosecutors Make Decision on Mike Tyson Punching Passenger on Airplane

Mike Tyson won't be in any legal trouble for punching a passenger on an airplane multiple times. According to ESPN, the San Mateo County (California) District Attorney will not file charges against Tyson for the incident that happened last month.

"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. "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." TMZ Sports obtained a video that shows Tyson punching a passenger, who was later seen bleeding from the forehead. The former boxing heavyweight champion was on a JetBlue plane at the San Francisco International Airport that was heading to Miami. ESPN says Tyson and the passenger were apprehended by police in San Francisco before being released. 

"Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat," Tyson's rep told PEOPLE in a statement explaining why he attacked the passenger. Tyson is no stranger to legal issues. In 1992, the 55-year-old was convicted of raping 18-year-old Desiree Washington and served three years in prison. In 1999, Tyson served nine months in prison after assaulting two motorists after a traffic accident. 

Tyson, who was known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet," is one of the best heavyweight boxers of all time. From 1987 to 1990 Tyson was the undisputed world heavyweight champion and is the younger boxer to ever win the title at 20 years old. "This is the big school!" Tyson told The Sportsman in Nov. 2020. "There's a lot of teaching. It's only by teaching that you start to learn. You can't learn only by listening, you learn by teaching. Even though you know nothing. And the more you teach, the more you know you know nothing. You're not wasting time when you're teaching."

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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