The man who was beaten by Mike Tyson after allegedly molesting the boxing legend on board a JetBlue plane at San Francisco airport has been identified – and he has a long criminal record.
Melvin George Townsend III of Punta Gorda, Fla., has served 20- and 15-month prison terms for a variety of crimes, including possession of oxycodone, burglary, grand larceny, fraud and dealing in stolen property, according to a file search.
The 36-year-old stole a trailer in 2018 by trespassing on it and coupling it to his pickup truck, reported TMZ, the first media outlet to identify him.
Townsend was last released from a Florida prison in July 2020 after serving 15 months of a 25-month sentence for the incident and use of a fraudulent ID card. He had previously taken time dealing in stolen property in 2009 and 2010.
Video from Wednesday’s attack shows Tyson punching Townsend before the JetBlue flight from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale had taken off, leaving the Florida man with a bloody forehead.
However, a rep for the Brooklyn-born boxer claims he responded to Townsend, an unruly passenger, who harassed him and actually threw a water bottle at Tyson.
“Sadly, 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 sitting in his seat,” a Tyson representative told DailyMail.com in an email .
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
The man who was beaten by Mike Tyson after allegedly molesting the boxing legend on board a JetBlue plane at San Francisco airport has been identified – and he has a long criminal record. Melvin George Townsend III of Punta Gorda, Fla., has 20- and 15-month prison terms for a variety of crimes, including possession of oxycodone, burglary, grand larceny, fraud and dealing in stolen property, according to a file search
Townsend has served 20- and 15-month sentences for felonies including grand larceny
Another video from the flight shows the aftermath of the incident, with the man bearing bloodstains on his forehead
Mike Tyson was spotted repeatedly hitting a fellow passenger on a flight from San Francisco to Florida on Wednesday night, leaving the man with a bloodied forehead
San Francisco police detained two people from the flight but declined to identify either. They have released the video to the San Mateo County Police Department, who have not yet responded 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 office were dispatched to a physical altercation aboard a plane at the domestic terminal of San Francisco International Airport,” read a San Francisco police statement , which was made available to DailyMail.com.
“Officers arrived and arrested two people believed to have been involved in the incident. One person was treated at the scene for non-life threatening injuries. This person provided minimal details of the incident and refused to further cooperate with the police investigation. Both individuals have been released pending further investigation under California Penal Code 849(b).
“The SFPD is aware of a video that may have captured the incident that surfaced after the initial investigation. This video has been forwarded to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office responsible for investigating this incident.’
JetBlue has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
Following Wednesday’s altercation, Townsend’s identity slowly began leaking out on social media
The heated argument was first reported by TMZ on Thursday.
Cell phone footage shows the former heavyweight champion beating Townsend, who is said to be sitting right behind him.
According to TMZ, Townsend initially had a warm exchange with Tyson. A witness says he and a friend greeted the 55-year-old boxing legend as they boarded the plane and even posed for a picture with Tyson.
Tyson soon got tired of dealing with Townsend and reportedly asked him to be quiet. As Townsend continued to speak, Tyson reportedly got up, turned and dealt him several punches in the face and forehead.
“Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey Mike, come on, cut it out,” a witness is heard saying on the cell phone footage.
The cellphone 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 bearing blood stains on his forehead.
“My boy just got beat up by Mike Tyson,” said the man who made the video. “Yeah, he’s fed up. I’m just trying to ask for an autograph. I do not know what happened.’
Mike Tyson was seen enjoying the good vibes and marijuana that the 4/20 holiday brings just hours before he repeatedly hit a fellow passenger on a plane at the San Francisco airport Wednesday night, leaving the man with a bloody gunshot left forehead
Tyson is looking good and enjoying the spirit of the famous 4/20 holiday
The altercation came after a long day of pot-smoking for Tyson, who was seen celebrating the April 20 marijuana holiday on San Francisco’s Hippie Hill on Wednesday.
Tyson maintained his festive spirit on his way out of town, as witnessed by Bay Area photographer Josh Edelson, who arrived at San Francisco airport after a trip to Italy. Edelson approached Tyson about an hour and a half before Tyson’s incident on the JetBlue flight.
“As we exited the airport, I turned to my wife and said, ‘Oh my god, that’s Mike Tyson right there,'” Edelson told DailyMail.com.
“So I went up to him and said, ‘Mike, do you mind if I take a quick picture with you? a huge hit of his joint.
“I went and took a picture with him, and he took another big train and said goodbye to his driver, who was probably driving him there from Hippie Hill or wherever he was from in San Francisco,” Edelson continued. “And that was about it. I didn’t really think much about it. Then I left and went home and then I woke up this morning and as it turns out he was just arriving to fly home or [Fort Lauderdale.]’
According to Edelson, Tyson appeared to be in a peaceful mood before boarding his Redeye flight to Florida.
“He was really cool,” Edelson said. “He seemed happy overall. He was obviously smoking, having a good time and seemed to be in a really good mood.’
Then, before boarding his plane, he was spotted at the San Francisco airport by Bay Area photographer Josh Edelson, returning from a trip to Italy with his wife