Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson won’t be charged for allegedly punching a drunken JetBlue passenger.
According to reports, the San Mateo County District Attorney, Stephen Wagstaffe, said, on May 9, that no charges would be filed against Tyson 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.”
Wagstaffe added that neither the former boxer nor the passenger wanted to go to court and that there were more serious cases his office should be focusing on.
“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,” said Tyson’s attorneys, Richard A. Schonfeld, David Z. Chesnoff, and Martin A. Sabelli.
The 55-year-old previously faced multiple criminal charges after the airplane altercation, which went down on Apr. 20.
While on a JetBlue flight from San Fransisco to Florida, he allegedly punched Melvin Townsend III after he kept bothering him with excessive talking and foolish banter.
Tyson was patient with Melvin at first, but he was highly intoxicated, and his ill behavior got the best of the former heavyweight champ. A witness even said that the Brooklyn native was friendly with his fellow Jet Blue fliers as he spoke with them and took selfies.
Tyson punched the inebriated man in the head and eventually exited the plane. The overly-excited passenger was left with a bloodied forehead, but he received medical attention. He also called authorities to report the incident.
“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 former heavyweight champ’s representatives said in an email to The Associated Press.
Melvin has an extensive criminal history.
