Mike Tyson’s Representatives Speak out After Video of Him Punching Plane Passenger Surfaces

Mike Tyson’s representatives are speaking out after the retired boxing legend, 55, was recorded repeatedly punching an “aggressive” fellow passenger Wednesday night on a JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Miami. In a video obtained by TMZ, the passenger can be seen standing over Tyson’s seat and waving his arms as the boxer sits quietly before Tyson ultimately begins to punch him. 

“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,” the boxer’s rep told PEOPLE in a statement. The man would later receive medical attention, while Tyson walked off the still-grounded plane moments after the altercation.

San Francisco police responded just after 10 p.m. to reports of a “physical altercation,” according to officials. “Officers arrived and detained two subjects that were believed to be involved in the incident. One subject was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries,” police said in a statement. “That subject provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation.” The video clip has been shared with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over the airport, according to police. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) added to PEOPLE that the agency had not received a report of any passenger altercations on that flight, but they “[look] into all airline reports of passenger disturbances.” 

Tyson has previously had problems with the law over acts of violence, having served three years in prison after he was convicted of raping 18-year-old Desiree Washington in 1992. The athlete long maintained their sexual encounter was consensual, despite his conviction. The Hangover star also served nine months in prison back in 1999 after he was convicted of assaulting two motorists following a traffic accident, and in 2009 Tyson was arrested once again following a fight with a photographer at Los Angeles International Airport, but no charges were ever filed. Then, of course, Tyson’s claim to fame inside the boxing ring comes from his 1997 rematch with Evander Holyfield, in which he bit off a piece of his competitor’s ear. Tyson was fined $3 million for the incident, disqualified from the match, and banned from boxing following the incident.