Florida man punched by Mike Tyson on JetBlue plane is an ex-con

Florida man punched by Mike Tyson on JetBlue plane is an ex-con who has served nearly THREE YEARS in prison: Attorney says boxing legend should have 'exercised greater restraint'

• The man who was punched by Mike Tyson after allegedly harassing the boxing legend aboard a JetBlue airplane at the San Francisco Airport has been identified

• Melvin George Townsend III of Punta Gorda, Florida allegedly harassed Tyson and threw a bottle at the boxing legend before being pummeled in his seat

• Townsend has served 20- and 15-month prison sentences for a variety of crimes

• The 36-year-old stole a trailer in 2018 by trespassing and hitching it to his pickup

• Townsend was last released from a Florida prison in July of 2020 after serving 15 months of a 25-month sentence for use of a fraudulent personal ID

• He was also charged with burglary, drug possession, and tracking stolen goods

• San Francisco police did detain two individuals from the flight, but declined to identify either. They did share video of the attack with San Mateo County police

• It's unclear if San Mateo County authorities will pursue charges against Tyson

• Townsend's attorney told TMZ that Tyson should have shown more 'restraint' and denied that his client ever threw a water bottle at the former heavyweight champ

• There is still a possibility that Townsend could file a lawsuit against Tyson

The man who was punched by Mike Tyson after allegedly harassing the boxing legend aboard a JetBlue airplane at the San Francisco Airport has been identified – and he has a lengthy criminal record.

Melvin George Townsend III, 36, of Punta Gorda, Florida has served 20- and 15-month prison sentences for a variety of crimes, including possession of Oxycodone, burglary, grand theft, fraud, and trafficking stolen property, according to a records search. In one 2018 incident he stole a trailer by trespassing and hitching the unit it to his pickup, reported TMZ, which was the first media outlet to identify him.

Townsend was last released from a Florida prison in July of 2020 after serving 15 months of a 25-month sentence for that incident and his use of a fraudulent personal ID. He previously did time for trafficking stolen property in 2009 and 2010.

Townsend does have a lawyer, although he has yet to sue the 55-year-old Tyson.

'To state the obvious, as one of the greatest fighters of all time, Mr. Tyson should have exercised greater restraint before using his hands on an overly excited fan,' Townsend's attorney, Matt Morgan, told TMZ.

Townsend is 'still in shock,' according to Morgan, who left open the possibility of a lawsuit.

'[Townsend has] not made a determination on what his next steps will be. He hired counsel due to his physical injuries, the overwhelming nature of this event and the associated media inquiries.'

Video from Wednesday's assault shows Tyson punching Townsend before the JetBlue flight had taken off from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale, leaving the Florida man with a bloody forehead.

However, a representative for the Brooklyn-born boxer claims he was reacting to Townsend, an unruly passenger who had been harassing him and actually threw a water bottle at Tyson.

'Unfortunately, Mr. Tyson had an incident on a flight with an aggressive passenger who began harassing him and threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat,' a representative for Tyson told DailyMail.com in an email.

Townsend, through his attorney, is denying throwing a water bottle.

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The man who was punched by Mike Tyson after allegedly harassing the boxing legend aboard a JetBlue airplane at the San Francisco Airport has been identified – and he has a lengthy criminal record. Melvin George Townsend III of Punta Gorda, Florida , has 20- and 15-month prison sentences for a variety of crimes, including possession of Oxycodone, burglary, grand theft, fraud, and trafficking stolen property, according to a records search
  
Mike Tyson is seen in Miami Beach, Leaving Eden Rock Hotel, where he got a pat on the back from one of the establishment's employees (right)

On Friday, Tyson was seen leaving the Eden Rock Hotel, where he was ushered into a waiting car. He had been scheduled to attend the Benzinga Cannabis Conference in South Florida

Townsend has served 20- and 15-month prison sentences for crimes including grand theft
   
Another video from the flight shows the aftermath of the incident, with the man sporting traces of blood on his forehead
Mike Tyson pummels fellow passenger in first class on flight

Mike Tyson was seen repeatedly a punching a fellow passenger on a flight from San Francisco to Florida on Wednesday night, leaving the man with a bloodied forehead

'Our client is a big Mike Tyson fan,' Morgan told TMZ. 'When Mike Tyson boarded the plane, he became overly excited. At first, their interaction was cordial.

'At a certain point, Mr. Tyson clearly became agitated by an overly excited fan and began to strike him in an excessive manner,' Morgan continued. 'This situation could have been avoided simply by contacting the flight attendant. Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson.'

San Francisco police did detain two individuals from the flight, but declined to identify either. They did pass along the video to San Mateo County police, who have yet to respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.


'On Wednesday April 20, 2022, at approximately 10:06 p.m., San Francisco Police officers assigned to the SFPD Airport Bureau were dispatched to a physical altercation onboard an airplane located at the Domestic Terminal of the San Francisco International Airport,' read a San Francisco police statement provided to DailyMail.com.

'Officers arrived and detained two subjects that were believed to be involved in the incident. One subject was treated at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries. That subject provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation. Both subjects were released under 849(b) of the California Penal Code pending further investigation.

'The SFPD is aware of video that possibly captured the incident, which surfaced following the initial investigation. That video has been forwarded to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, which has investigative jurisdiction on this incident.'

JetBlue has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

Following Wednesday's altercation, Townsend's identity slowly began leaking on social media

The violent altercation was first reported by TMZ on Thursday.

Cell phone footage shows the former heavyweight champion smacking the allegedly Townsend seated directly behind him.

Townsend initially had a cordial exchange with Tyson, according to TMZ. A witness says he and a friend greeted the 55-year-old boxing legend as they boarded the plane and even got their picture taken with Tyson.

Tyson soon grew tired of engaging with Townsend and reportedly asked him to be quiet. When Townsend continued talking, Tyson reportedly then stood, turned, and threw several punches to his face and forehead.

'Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey Mike, come on, stop that,' a witness is heard saying on the cell phone footage.

The cell phone video did not include footage of Townsend throwing a water bottle at Tyson.

Another video from the flight shows the aftermath of the incident, with Townsend sporting traces of blood on his forehead.

'My boy just got beat up by Mike Tyson,' said the man shooting the video. 'Yeah, he got f***ed up. Just trying to ask for an autograph. I don't know what happened.'