Mike Tyson punches passenger on SF flight
Hours after a mellow-appearing Mike Tyson promoted his new cannabis-infused edibles at San Francisco's 4/20 festival Wednesday, the boxing legend was videotaped throwing punches at a fellow passenger on a JetBlue flight reportedly about to leave San Francisco International Airport.
TMZ released a video of the altercation, which occurred Wednesday night on a flight bound for Florida. A witness told TMZ that he and his friend were excited to meet Tyson, 55, as they boarded and got him to pose for a selfie with them.
However, the witness said his friend was “overly excited” and kept trying to talk to the former heavyweight champion as they were seated behind him.
Tyson asked the man to quiet down, according to TMZ. When he didn't, the fighter, famous for his ferocious, intimidating boxing style, leaned back over his seat and repeatedly punched the passenger in the head, as seen in the video.
The witness told TMZ that Tyson then walked off the plane, while a photo showed that the man's face was left bloodied in the attack.
San Francisco police confirmed that a physical fight had occurred about 10:06 p.m. on the plane in the airport's domestic terminal. Officers arrived and detained two people involved. Authorities declined to release the names of the two people.
Officials said one person was treated for non-lifethreatening injuries at the scene and told police “minimal details” about the altercation but refused to cooperate further.
Both were released under a section of the California Penal Code that allows officers to release arrested people because of “insufficient grounds to file a complaint against that person.”
San Francisco police confirmed they were aware of the video circulating online and had forwarded it to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office. The Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the incident because of the ongoing investigation.
People from Tyson's team told TMZ that the passenger was “extremely intoxicated … and wouldn't stop provoking the boxer in his seat.”
TMZ also reported Tyson was due to appear Thursday at the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference Afterparty in Miami.
Like many celebrities, Tyson has launched his own cannabis-related products and brands in recent years.
However, he failed to appear at the conference for a noon event, due to his “flight change,” TMZ said.
SFGate.com reported that Tyson talked about everyone being “beautiful” while he briefly stood on stage at the 4/20 celebration in Golden Gate Park Wednesday to promote his Tyson 2.0 cannabis products.
Tyson's products include Mike Bites, gummies in the shape of little ears — shapes that recall one of the most notorious moments in his career and in professional sports, when Tyson bit off a portion of Evander Holyfield's ear during a 1997 heavyweight bout in Las Vegas.
“I'm the world champion, and now I'm the world champion of cannabis, and we can't be stopped,” Tyson told the crowd at Golden Gate Park, SFGate.com reported.
“Look at us. Thousands of people (are) looking at us, and we're getting high. This is beautiful. … Look at me, baby; look how beautiful I look up here.”
Hours later, Tyson apparently wasn't feeling so beautiful.