14 DAY TRIAL // Mike Tyson and a celebrity photographer got into a fight at LAX the other day, which shortly turned into a physical altercation. The former champ reportedly lost his temper and struck the pap once across the face, enough to instantly send him to the ground. The two made citizen’s arrest on each other afterwards, and police are now investigating the case to see whether it constitutes a violation of Tyson’s probation terms, People magazine informs.
Apparently, it all began as Tyson was making his way through the terminal. He and his family were flying in from Europe, destination Las Vegas, and were annoyed by a paparazzo who kept hassling them for photos. Tyson eventually lost his temper and struck the paparazzo, who fell to the ground. He sustained a laceration on his forehead and had to be taken to hospital for a check-up, a police spokesperson tells People.
Tyson was arrested and booked on suspicion of battery, with his bail being reportedly set at $20,000. However, this could be only the beginning for the often legally troubled star, as he is currently on probation – should police determine that the scuffle was his doing and he thus stands guilty of assault, that would constitute violation of probation terms and he might even face some jail time.
“Mike Tyson and a photographer made citizen’s arrests on one another after getting into a scuffle Wednesday at Los Angeles International Airport, police say. At 4:30 p.m., the former boxing champ, 43, was passing through LAX from Europe en route to Las Vegas when a celebrity photographer began taking his picture at the United Airlines terminal, Sgt. Jim Holcomb tells People,” the aforementioned magazine writes.
Tyson’s attorney, Richard Schonfeld, on the other hand, insists that it was him who was wronged since he only defended himself from being attacked by the paparazzo. “Mr. Tyson did absolutely nothing wrong, he was the victim in this case. We look forward to vindicating him and pursuing his rights,” Schonfeld says, also for People magazine. Keep an eye on this space for more details on this one.