Mike Tyson has been arrested on suspicion of assault following an incident involving a photographer at LAX airport in Los Angeles.

The former heavyweight boxing champion is alleged to have struck a paparazzo on the head at a United Airlines check-in counter. 

Police sergeant Jim Holcomb said the photographer needed hospital treatment after the incident.

A spokeswoman for Tyson told the Associated Press the star was protecting his wife and child, who were travelling with him.

Mike Tyson is arrested on suspicision of assault in Los Angeles.

Both Tyson and the photographer are said to want to press charges. The boxer is expected to be released from custody later today.

The incident comes at the end of a year which saw the tragic death of Tyson's daughter Exodus in May.

The four-year-old died after accidentally strangling herself on a treadmill cord.