UPDATE 8:33 PM PT: Cops tell TMZ Tyson was released on his own recognizance.
UPDATE 8:13 PM PT: Tyson has been booked for misdemeanor battery and his bail has been set at $20,000. The photog was also booked on misdemeanor battery — Tyson claims the photog got so close he actually made contact with the boxer.
TMZ has learned Mike Tyson has been arrested at LAX airport for battery after a bloody confrontation with a paparazzo outside the United terminal. We’re told Tyson punched the pap in the face and there is blood everywhere.
We’re told Tyson was at a ticket counter at the United Airlines terminal when the incident occurred. The photographer got punched in the face, hit the ground, got up and began walking, leaving a trail of blood. An LAPD spokesperson said the photographer suffered a minor laceration to the forehead.
Someone at the scene tells TMZ … the photographer got very close to Tyson before the boxer struck him. Our source says there’s blood on the ground and Mike was taken away in a squad car. We’re told an ambulance was dispatched at 4:39 PM to LAX and the paparazzo was transported to a local hospital.
Cops say Tyson and the photographer performed citizen’s arrests on each other — both are expected to be booked for misdemeanor battery. Cops also said witnesses backed both stories … so that could get interesting.
If Tyson is prosecuted, given that he’s a former boxing champ, the charge could end up being assault with a deadly weapon.
