Mike Tyson’s physical brawl with fellow plane passenger goes viral

Last updated on April 23rd, 2022 at 04:47 am

Authorities on Thursday investigated an incident in which former heavyweight boxing champ Mike Tyson was recorded punching a fellow first-class passenger. The two were aboard a plane at San Francisco International Airport.

The footage shows Tyson leaning over his seat, striking the unidentified man in the head. The man can be seen drenched in blood. The video was first shared by TMZ, which claimed that it was recorded on a Jet Blue plane bound for Florida.

“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,” Tyson’s representatives said in an email to The Associated Press.

Prior to the physical brawl, the man is seen on the video standing in front of Mike Tyson’s seat, waving his arms and talking while the former boxer sits quietly.

San Francisco police responded around 10 pm on Wednesday to a “physical brawl” on a plane at the airport’s domestic terminal, officials said.

“Officers arrived and detained two subjects believed to be involved in the incident. One subject was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries. That subject provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation,” police said Thursday.

Both were released but warned of further investigation, the statement said.

Sarah Burchfield, another passenger on the flight, said she saw the man who was punched by Tyson at an airport bar earlier, appearing quarrelsome and loud.

When she boarded the plane, Burchfield said she passed Tyson’s seat in the first-class section.

“The belligerent guy was sitting behind him and I saw them interacting,” she said. A short time later, she claimed to have heard the confrontation in first class.

San Francisco police said the video was shared with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.