Mike Tyson Punches JetBlue Passenger Who Harassed Him During Flight [VIDEO]
Mike Tyson got involved in an altercation after his fellow JetBlue passenger harassed him during the flight.
Multiple news outlets, including CBS Sports and Daily Mail, confirmed that Tyson repeatedly punched a JetBlue passenger who, he claims, was harassing him. The retired boxing legend boarded the plane out of San Francisco International Airport.
In a video shared by a news outlet, the 55-year-old can be seen punching the man continuously. The passenger later received treatment and went to the police.
Tyson's representative explained what happened, telling PEOPLE that the passenger was harassing the athlete.
"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 representative said.
A source close to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) told the same news outlet that it did not receive a report about any rowdy passengers on that flight. But it pledged to look into all the reports about the alleged passenger disturbances.
Tyson was on his way to the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Miami when the altercation happened. He was tapped to be a keynote speaker after launching his cannabis brand, Tyson 2.0, last year.
The San Francisco Police Department and JetBlue have not released an official statement regarding the incident. It also remains unclear whether the man would file charges.
However, an attorney has since warned that Tyson could face a felony charge.
Will Mike Tyson Receive Charges Over Airplane Incident?
Although Tyson is free from charges - for now - a Chicago-based attorney explained the situation and how it could lead to serious repercussions for Tyson.
According to Attorney Andrew Stoltmann, athletes like Tyson are held by police and judges to higher standards.
"A trained fighter realizes they have the ability to inflict more extensive damage than a layperson, and a typical defense in these sorts of claims are self-defense. Right? Tyson was defending himself from this gentleman. Well, when you're the former heavyweight boxing champion of the world, that defense is almost completely eviscerated," he told Fox News.
But Stoltmann explained that it would only be reasonable if a man does something to prove an attack.
While Tyson's representative clarified that the passenger started the feud, the retired boxer is reportedly facing an uphill climb as he might face felony battery charges. In addition, he might be banned from flying since the incident happened on a plane.
