Boxing legend Mike Tyson cleared of charges for punching a man on a plane

Mike Tyson will not face criminal charges after the former heavyweight champion was recorded on video punching a fellow passenger on a plane at San Francisco International Airport last month.

The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office said it has closed the case. The victim and Tyson both requested that charges not be filed, District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said in a statement.

Video captured inside a Jet Blue plane bound for Florida shows Tyson leaning over the back of his seat repeatedly striking the unidentified man in the head.

The video also shows the same man standing up behind Tyson’s seat and appearing to try to get the 55-year-old’s attention, while the ex-fighter sits quietly but occasionally turns around.

Representatives for Tyson previously said the boxer was on a flight with “an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat”.

David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld and Martin A. Sabelli, the boxer’s attorneys thanked the work and flexibility of the authorities for not taking things to a more complicated level.

We thank San Mateo District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe, San Mateo County Sheriff and all law enforcement involved in this investigation for their careful, diligent and professional work,” a statement said.