Mike Tyson won’t be facing charges for his viral airplane altercation with a passenger on 4/20. San Mateo District Attorney Steven Wagstaffe confirmed the news through an official statement released via USA Today.
“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. Our decision is that we will not file any charges against Mr. Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation,” the statement reads.
“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.”
The incident happened during a JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Miami. As seen on video, a supposedly intoxicated passenger was constantly taunting Tyson, angering the former heavyweight champion. Tyson was then seen hitting the man in retaliation. According to a spokesperson for “Iron Mike,” the passenger also threw a water bottle.
The passenger was later identified as 36-year-old Melvin Townsend III of Punta Gorda, Florida. He apparently has a long criminal record and in 2019, was listed as having “habitual felony offender status” after being sentenced to 25 months for grand theft.
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