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A flight out of San Francisco International Airport turned violent on Wednesday night when boxing legend Mike Tyson threatened to punch a man who allegedly molested him on the plane. Tyson repeatedly lashed out at the man whose assigned seat on the plane was behind that of the boxing legend. The man was reportedly left with a bloody face after Tyson punched him.
According to TMZ Sports, the incident happened at 10:30 p.m. after Tyson boarded a JetBlue flight bound for Florida. TMZ also reported that the passenger hit by Tyson was “extremely drunk … and would not stop provoking the boxer in his seat.” A Tyson spokesman added the passenger threw a water bottle at the 55-year-old.
“Sadly, 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,” the rep told ESPN.
Here’s a look at what happened, as released by TMZ Sports (Warning: The video content is graphic and violent).
A fellow passenger who witnessed the incident told TMZ that Tyson didn’t seem angry at first. However, things then took a turn after Tyson snapped a selfie with the man. After the photo, the man reportedly kept trying to speak to Tyson.
Tyson, then visibly upset, told the man to stop talking to him. The person didn’t, and witnesses say Tyson got physical at the time, TMZ reported.
After punching the man in the face multiple times, witnesses claimed Tyson then walked off the plane. TMZ Sports reports that the man injured in the incident received medical attention and went to the police about the incident. According to SF Gate, Tyson was in San Francisco on Wednesday to attend the city’s 420th Cannabis Festival at Golden Gate Park.
While San Francisco police declined to name those involved in the incident, they said two people were arrested at the airport and later released, per ESPN. One of those people was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries, but gave “minimal details” about what happened and “refused to further cooperate with the police investigation.”