Bad boy and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has been slapped with a $25 million lawsuit by a photographer/paparazzi who claims that he was punched by the boxer with a closed fist sometime in November 2009 at LAX.
The photographer/paparazzi, Antonio Echavarria, reportedly suffered a concussion as well as a strain on his spinal cord after the boxer punched him and then proceeded to break his camera while he was being photographed at the Los Angeles International Airport.
After the incident, Tyson was arrested. However the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office rejected the said case due to “insufficient evidence.”
The civil lawsuit that was filed Monday seeks $25 million for assault and battery, plus negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Tyson is known for being one of boxing’s hardest hitters, and his rise to boxing fame has been overcast and affected by events that occurred outside the right. In fact, Tyson served three years in prison after he was convicted of raping Desiree Washington, a beauty contestant, in 1991.
AS of 2009, a spokesperson for Tyson, Tammy Brook, had released a statement saying that Tyson was just making his way to LAX together with his wife and 10-month child when he was allegedly attacked by a swarm of paparazzi. In self-defense to protect his child, Tyson did throw punches at the photogs. He is believed to have been arrested over an assault but since then, Tyson was able to be released due to his own recognizance.