Mike Tyson will not be charged for plane assault on 'over excited' fan

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This one won't be settled in court

Mike Tyson will not face charges for punching a man during a flight from San Francisco to Florida on April 20. A statement from San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen M. Wagstaffe confirmed that the former heavyweight champion will not be prosecuted after he was filmed attacking what he claims was an "over excited" fan. Wagstaffe said that his office declined to file misdemeanour battery charges due to "the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident" and following the requests of both Tyson and the victim himself. Tyson's representatives claim that the 55-year-old was "provoked" and harassed by one Melvin George Townsend III, who reportedly threw a water bottle at him from his seat. Meanwhile, Townsend's lawyers insist he is a big fan and after having an initially cordial interaction, he simply got carried away by the fact that she was sharing a flight with 'Iron Mike'. However, Townsend denies harassing or attacking the boxing legend in any way and a witness told TMZ that after struggling to end the conversation naturally, Tyson tried to get him to stop by "punching him several times".

The victim's lawyers went on to argue that "this situation could have been avoided simply by contacting the flight attendant" adding: "To state the obvious, as one of the greatest fighters of all time, Mr. Tyson should have exercised greater restraint before using his hands on an overly excited fan." Whilst it seems that Tyson won't be charged for his actions, Townsend is thought to have suffered injuries and is said to have been "overwhelmed" by the incident and subsequent media attention.