by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:46 PM ET, Thu April 21, 2022
Former boxing world champion and media personality Mike Tyson was allegedly involved in a physical altercation during a flight on Wednesday night.
According to TMZ Sports, Tyson was on a JetBlue flight from San Francisco International Airport to Florida when a reportedly intoxicated man sitting one row behind Tyson started talking to the 55-year-old boxing legend.
Video obtained of the incident and shared online shows the male passenger and Tyson talking cordially at first. At some point, the man refused to leave Tyson alone, prompting the boxer to ask to be left alone.
Tyson told TMZ Sports the man was "extremely intoxicated" and continued to provoke him. In the video, Tyson can be seen turning around and punching the man several times before removing himself from the plane.
The man who was allegedly struck by Tyson received medical attention and reported the incident to the police, but no charges were immediately filed.
Data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found there were nearly 6,000 unruly passenger incidents reported last year, and 73 percent of them involved the wearing of face masks.
Several hundred of those incidents included physical violence against flight attendants and cabin crew, with the attacks even spilling over to gate agents and airport workers.
To curb the increasing number of violent attacks on planes, a bipartisan Congressional group has drafted legislation that calls for a lifetime ban from commercial flights for the most egregious of unruly passengers.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
