Mike Tyson appears to meet another plane passenger

Mike Tyson appears to meet another plane passenger

(CNN) – Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson appears to have joined the ranks of unruly airline passengers.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while seated in his seat,” Joann Mignano, a Tyson representative, said in a statement.

The video, obtained by TMZ Sports, was recorded on a JetBlue plane in San Francisco, according to TMZ. It shows a man repeatedly punching another passenger in the seat behind him.

The video released by TMZ does not show the entire incident. A water bottle is not seen in the footage posted by the outlet.

The video of the beating lasts about 10 seconds and includes the audio of a person attempting to defuse the situation by shouting “Hey Mike, Mike.”

Around 10 p.m. PT Wednesday night, law enforcement officers “were dispatched to a physical altercation aboard a plane at the domestic terminal of San Francisco International Airport,” according to the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD).

Two people believed to be involved in the incident have been arrested, police said. One person was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to a statement from SFPD.

“This person provided minimal details of the incident and refused to further cooperate with the police investigation,” police said. Both individuals were released “pending further investigation.” SFPD declined to identify either issue.

The police department said it was aware of video that may have captured the altercation and shared the video with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office.

San Mateo County Sheriff’s Detective Javier Acosta told CNN that the office will continue the investigation and declined to name either subject, citing the ongoing investigation.

JetBlue Airways did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.

Tyson was in San Francisco on Wednesday at the 420 Hippie Hill event in Golden Gate Park to promote his cannabis brand, according to the event’s website and video posted online.

Take action against unruly passengers

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Thursday morning that it had no report at this time of a recalcitrant passenger incident aboard a JetBlue flight on Wednesday.

“The FAA is investigating all airline reports of passenger disruptions,” the agency said in a statement to CNN.

The FAA referred CNN to local law enforcement agencies for more information.

Unruly passenger behavior has increased during the pandemic, with 2021 marking the worst year on record of reports of bad behavior on planes. A whopping 5,981 reports of unruly passengers were logged by the FAA in 2021.

The agency implemented a “zero tolerance” policy on January 13, 2021 after a sharp increase in recalcitrant passenger incidents in 2020. The FAA said under the policy it can fine passengers for unruly behavior in lieu of warning letters or advice. And cases can lead to criminal investigations and indictments.

The FAA said Wednesday it would make permanent its zero-tolerance policy toward unruly passengers. This announcement came after the federal mask mandate for public transport was lifted on Monday. The Ministry of Justice has appealed this verdict.

The incident aboard the JetBlue flight on Wednesday did not appear to involve masks, which are not currently required. However, mask-related incidents currently account for the majority of reports of unruly passenger behavior.

In 2022, the FAA has already received 1,233 recalcitrant passenger reports.

Pictured above: Mike Tyson is seen in this file photo dated December 12, 2021 in Malibu, California. (Photo by JC Olivera/Getty Images)