The former undisputed heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson won’t face criminal charges in connection with an incident that took place on an airplane last month, CNN reports.
Steve Wagstaffe, District Attorney of San Mateo County in California announced on Tuesday the decision to not file charges against Tyson in a statement.
"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," 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,” the statement continued.
In a video obtained by TMZ, Tyson was on a plane from the San Francisco International Airport to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida when "an aggressive passenger ... began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him." Tyson struck the passenger, identified as Melvin George Townsend III, who was left bloodied after the incident.
Tyson and Townsend were both apprehended by police in San Francisco and later released.
Since news of the altercation became public, Townsend has denied throwing a water bottle at Tyson and his attorney previously said his client is a "big Mike Tyson fan" and alleged in a statement last month that "Tyson became agitated by an overly excited fan and began to strike him."
"This situation could have been avoided simply by contacting a flight attendant. Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson," attorney Matt Morgan said.
