World-renowned boxer Mike Tyson will not face charges following the the a** whooping he handed out on a JetBlue flight last month.
On Tuesday, San Mateo County District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe announced that his office wouldn’t be moving forward with charges due to “the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident” and “the interaction between Mr. Tyson and the victim.” He also noted that both Tyson and the passenger, Melvin Townsend III, requested no charges be filed.
“Our decision is that we will not file any charges against Mr. Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation,” Wagstaffe stated.
The viral altercation took place on April 20th when Townsend harassed and tossed a water bottle at Tyson while in first-class onboard the flight. Tyson responded by punching Townsend multiple times in the head. Townsend has denied that he threw the water bottle at the 55-year-old, and the cell phone footage that captured Tyson assaulting him did not show what led to the incident.
While the criminal probe is now closed, it remains unclear if Townsend will seek civil action against Tyson.
April’s incident is just the latest run-in involving Mike Tyson and random individuals looking to challenge him. In March, the boxer was approached by a belligerent man inside a Hollywood comedy club who brandished a gun. In that situation, Tyson was much calmer and able to talk the man out of a possible shooting. He even hugged the unstable patron in the end.
