Mike Tyson has no criminal charges to worry about in the plane incident that derailed the nationwide promotion of his cannabis brand during 420 Week.
The incident occurred when an overly aggressive fellow passenger on a first class flight from San Francisco would not stop bothering Tyson.
The San Mateo County District Attorney reportedly stated that “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,” there will be no charges filed.
“It is simply a case that does not belong in the criminal court,” Wagstaffe said to CNN. “If they want to sue each other, that’s their business.”
Put The Paws On Him
Tyson was harassed by Melvin George Townsend III, seated behind him on a JetBlue flight from the San Francisco International Airport to South Florida. He had to put his hands on him after Townsend’s unruly behavior disturbed the peace of the boxing legend.
At the time, Tyson’s representative told the media in a statement that the former boxer had an incident with an “aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him.”
Townsend’s attorney contends that no bottle was thrown as reported. However, he did explain the incident as his client being “overly excited.” Footage that went viral only showed the aftermath of Tyson’s annoyance. The water bottle component has yet to be seen on video.
Mike Tyson ringside for Canelo Alvarez vs Dmitry Bivol… pic.twitter.com/39IcZvNARb
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) May 8, 2022
An Intense 420 Week
Tyson was in San Francisco for the 420 Hippie Hill event at Golden Gate Park as the guest of honor. He elevated the audience with his unique brand of Tyson wisdom while promoting his cannabis brand Tyson 2.0.
Townsend was reportedly intoxicated and wouldn’t stop bothering him. However, once Townsend tried talking to the 55-year-old legend in his ear and wouldn’t stop, Tyson unleashed a flurry of punches at the man’s face.
Eventually, Mike walked off the plane a few seconds after the incident, and the other passenger received medical attention for the punches. The San Mateo County DA, Stephen Wagstaffe, reportedly said that neither party, Tyson or the offending passenger, wanted to take the situation to court.
.@NicoAliX74 visited @MikeTyson and his pigeons 🙏 pic.twitter.com/RQG4M99GhG
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) May 10, 2022
Case Closed
“We thank San Mateo District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, the San Mateo County Sheriff, and all law enforcement agencies involved in this investigation for their careful, diligent, and professional work,” Tyson’s attorneys, David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Martin A. Sabelli said to TMZ.
At the time, Tyson was en route to the Cannabis Capital Conference in Miami. Eventually, Mike did show up and brought the particular brand of star power only he could deliver, especially in the cannabis industry.
.@MikeTyson had a few notes for @Canelo after Saturday's loss 📝 #CaneloBivol pic.twitter.com/1xepjOB4AP
— ESPN Ringside (@ESPNRingside) May 9, 2022
Being Mike Tyson
Tyson had to deal with confrontation from the public in the not-too-distant past. In late March, Tyson had an incident when someone approached him with a gun at a rooftop comedy set in Los Angeles.
The champ was with some friends enjoying the set when he was approached by a man who ended up challenging him to a fight.
Tyson has been enjoying life as a successful podcaster on his “HOTBOXIN’” show and is still the dream fight for many current fighters, including Jake Paul, who has been angling for a fight.
