Mike Tyson will not be prosecuted for hitting a passenger on a plane

It's a video that hit the headlines.

Former boxing champion Mike Tyson will not be prosecuted for punching an agitated and presumably drunk passenger who bothered him on a plane last month, the California prosecutor investigating the incident has decided. quoted by American media.

This decision is "based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation" as the videos and testimonies show them, in particular "the behavior of the victim", explains in a press release the district attorney of San Mateo, Steve Wagstaffe.

Unruly Mike is not going to jail!

@miketyson won't face charges for punching 🥊 a man who annoyed him during @JetBlue flight ✈️ Via @RuudHteB 1/2 pic.twitter.com/19DzOR0Cgh

— Menno Swart (@MennoSwart) May 10, 2022

The incident occurred on April 20 before a JetBlue flight took off from San Francisco to Florida.

The 55-year-old former boxer had repeatedly hit this passenger a few minutes after boarding.

A civil lawsuit remains possible

The latter, a 36-year-old man, appeared drunk and rudely shouted at passengers boarding the plane, prosecutor Wagstaffe told the Los Angeles Times.

There were also reports of a plastic water bottle being thrown at Mike Tyson, who was seated in front of this passenger.

“This file does not fall under criminal justice,” said the prosecutor, adding that “if the parties want to start a civil trial, it can take place regardless of this decision.”

Neither the victim nor Mike Tyson also wanted criminal proceedings to be initiated, the prosecutor said in his press release.

The former champion had been disembarked from the plane in the wake of the incident.

Read alsoBoxing, glory, forfeiture, rehabilitation… the crazy life of Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson is one of the most iconic characters in boxing history.

Youngest heavyweight world champion, queen category, in 1986 at 20 years and 4 months, "Kid Dynamite" chained the moments of glory, with in particular a series of 37 fights without defeat at the beginning of his career, but also the skids , with an unlikely loss in 1991 and a tragicomic match against Evander Holyfield in 1997. Mike Tyson was also convicted in 1992 of rape and imprisoned for almost three years.

In 2007, he further admitted to a cocaine addiction.