A viral video appears to show former boxing champion Mike Tyson repeatedly punching a fellow airplane passenger while onboard a flight at San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday night.
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The incident, first reported by TMZ, occurred at approximately at 10:30 p.m. during the boarding process of a JetBlue flight slated to depart for Florida.
The cell phone footage, filmed by another passenger across the aisle and obtained by TMZ, shows Tyson throwing multiple right-hand punches at a man in the seat behind him. Additional video from the moments before the incident appear to show the man pointing at, speaking to and antagonizing Tyson, who originally continued to look forward. In footage from after the incident, the distressed passenger can be seen with multiple bloody scars on the right side of his forehead due to the punches.
A source close to Tyson told the outlet the passenger was extremely intoxicated and wouldn’t stop provoking the 55-year-old. A witness, who was friends with the passenger and also on the flight, said that Tyson had previously taken a selfie with the two of them, and was originally patient with his friend. Eventually, Tyson told the man to calm down, but he continued to annoy him, prompting the famed heavyweight champion to strike him multiple times.
Tyson walked off the plane moments after the incident, the website said.
In a statement, the San Francisco Police Department said officers detained two people "believed to be involved in the incident." One, who had sustained minor injuries, "provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation."
"The SFPD is aware of video that possibly captured the incident, which surfaced following the initial investigation," police said. "That video has been forwarded to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office."
When asked for comment, SFO spokesperson Doug Yakel told KCBS Radio to reach out to JetBlue. The airline didn't respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment prior to publication.
Tyson had been in San Francisco to be the guest of honor at the city's annual 4/20 "Hippie Hill" event at Golden Gate Park earlier that day.
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