Boxing icon Mike Tyson will avoid criminal charges from his recent dustup with a fellow passenger during an April JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Miami.
Tyson made headlines around the world last month when he was the focus of a viral video that saw him pummel a man during a cross-country JetBlue flight. A separate video following the incident showed Melvin Townsend III — the man identified on the wrong end of Tyson’s punches — with a bloodied and marked-up face.
Representatives for the former heavyweight champion claimed that Tyson was a victim of harassment and heckling. “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,” a statement claimed.
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Many wondered if there would be fallout from the incident and if “Iron Mike” could face charges from local authorities. It seemed unlikely in the days following the altercation when San Francisco Police Department officials revealed that Townsend “provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation.”
Well, the 55-year-old is officially in the clear after the San Mateo County District Attorney’s office informed TMZ Sports on Tuesday that because of “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 will be filed against the boxing legend.
“We thank San Mateo District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County Sheriff, and all law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation for their careful, diligent, and professional work,” Tyson’s attorneys said in a statement.
- Mike Tyson record: 50-6 (44 knockouts)
Mike Tyson returned to the boxing ring in 2020 to face fellow fight game great Roy Jones, Jr. in an exhibition bout for Triller Fight Club. The bout was one of the best-selling pay-per-view events of the last decade.