Mike Tyson Won't Face Charges In Airplane Fight At SF Airport: Report

SAN FRANCISCO — Former professional boxer Mike Tyson will not face charges in connection with a fight on a JetBlue flight at the San Francisco International Airport last month, according to a report from CBS News Bay Area.

After reviewing reports from law enforcement and watching various videos of the incident, San Mateo District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe announced his office is declining to press charges Tuesday. The decision was based on several circumstances, including the conduct of the victim before the incident as well as the fact neither party was interested in filing charges, according to the report.

The San Mateo District Attorney's Office did not immediately return a request for comment from Patch.

As previously reported by Patch, video of the incident shows Tyson repeatedly punching a man in the seat behind him. Moments before Tyson's flurry of punches, the man could be seen on video standing over the former boxer's seat, waving his arms wildly and talking loudly to Tyson.

The altercation occurred around 10 p.m. on April 20 on a JetBlue plane bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

A passenger on the flight, Sarah Burchfield, told SFGate that she had seen the man, who she described as drunk, being loud and quarrelsome at an airport bar before passengers boarded the flight.

Burchfield saw the "belligerent guy" and Tyson interacting while she was boarding the plane and heard the commotion a short time later, she said.

Tyson, 55, was in San Francisco for the annual 420 cannabis festival in Golden Gate Park, where he was promoting his cannabis brand Tyson 2.0.

In 1987, he became the youngest heavyweight champion in history at age 20. Known for his ferocious and aggressive style, he collected 50 wins and 44 knockouts. He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.

In the 1990s, Tyson served three years in prison after being convicted of rape. He has maintained his innocence in that case.

In 1996, he became just the sixth boxer to regain a heavyweight boxing title after previously losing it.

Tyson was briefly barred from boxing after infamously biting off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a fight in 1997.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. This story is being updated.