It looks as though neither boxer Mike Tyson nor paparazzi photographer Tony Echeverria will be in need of their Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys with the start of this new year. The Los Angeles city attorney’s office decided not to charge Tyson and Echeverria after their brawl at the Los Angeles International Airport last November, due to “insufficient evidence.”
“We took a look at the evidence and concluded that there was insufficient evidence that either party was at fault beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Frank Mateljan, spokesman for the city attorney’s office in the Los Angeles Times. “It didn’t rise to the level of filing a charge.”
The fight between Tyson and Echeverria gained a lot of media attention last November immediately after the incident occurred. Tyson, the former heavyweight boxing champion, said Echeverria struck him in an apparent attempt to provoke him. But Echeverria denied being aggressive and said Tyson punched him in the face after taking pictures, where the boxer tried to take the film from his camera.
Both men were arrested on November 11 on suspicion of battery, but later released from jail. The two men are both very lucky in that they managed to dodge a heap of legal trouble, just because the prosecutors didn’t have enough evidence. A battery conviction in Los Angeles could have led to jail time. Tyson could have especially faced serious legal consequences because he is still on probation from a 2007 Arizona drug case, in which the boxer pleaded guilty to cocaine possession. A conviction for battery would have violated his probation.
- Mike Tyson avoids charges in airport fracas (Reuters)
- No Charges Against Tyson in Airport Scuffle (AFP)
- Assault/Battery (FindLaw)
- Los Angeles criminal defense attorneys (FindLaw)
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