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Tyson pleads not guilty to assault charges
New York, Oct 01: Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault stemming from an early morning brawl at a Brooklyn hotel earlier this year.
New York, Oct 01: Former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to three counts of assault stemming from an early morning brawl at a Brooklyn hotel earlier this year.
In a brief appearance in Brooklyn Criminal Court, Tyson entered the plea of not guilty to three misdemeanour assault charges and charges of harassment and disorderly conduct.
Tyson is charged with assaulting two men, Samuel Velez, 31, and Nestor Alvarez, 24, and a woman in the early hours of June 21 outside the Marriott Hotel in downtown Brooklyn. Tyson could face up to a year in jail if convicted.
"Even Mike Tyson is entitled to self-defence," Tyson's attorney Mel Sachs told reporters. "These two men about 5:30 in the morning had been drinking, they bothered him, they provoked him and they told him, 'You have fists, we got guns,' and they reached for a weapon in their waistband, and what Mike Tyson did was meet that force, with force."
Sachs told Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Wayne Saitta the case should be dismissed because Tyson acted in self defence.
Both Velez and Alvarez have been indicted on menacing and harassment charges from the same incident.
"Professional Athletes like Mike Tyson are targets for individuals. They're targets of opportunity for people who are looking for a pay-day, for people who want to show off to others. Mike Tyson did not do anything wrongful in any way," Sachs said.
But prosecutors said his actions went beyond self defence.
Tyson is expected back in court in December.
Tyson has had several highly publicized run-ins with the law. He once bit off part of opponent Evander Holyfield's ear in a 1997 boxing match. He was also imprisoned for three years for raping a former beauty queen in 1991.
Bureau Report
Tyson is charged with assaulting two men, Samuel Velez, 31, and Nestor Alvarez, 24, and a woman in the early hours of June 21 outside the Marriott Hotel in downtown Brooklyn. Tyson could face up to a year in jail if convicted.
"Even Mike Tyson is entitled to self-defence," Tyson's attorney Mel Sachs told reporters. "These two men about 5:30 in the morning had been drinking, they bothered him, they provoked him and they told him, 'You have fists, we got guns,' and they reached for a weapon in their waistband, and what Mike Tyson did was meet that force, with force."
Sachs told Brooklyn Criminal Court Judge Wayne Saitta the case should be dismissed because Tyson acted in self defence.
Both Velez and Alvarez have been indicted on menacing and harassment charges from the same incident.
"Professional Athletes like Mike Tyson are targets for individuals. They're targets of opportunity for people who are looking for a pay-day, for people who want to show off to others. Mike Tyson did not do anything wrongful in any way," Sachs said.
But prosecutors said his actions went beyond self defence.
Tyson is expected back in court in December.
Tyson has had several highly publicized run-ins with the law. He once bit off part of opponent Evander Holyfield's ear in a 1997 boxing match. He was also imprisoned for three years for raping a former beauty queen in 1991.
Bureau Report