Airplane passenger punched by Mike Tyson on plane, was once listed as ‘habitual felony offender’

Legendary boxer Mike Tyson was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons after he punched a fellow passenger onboard a flight recently. Tyson, who is known for his known to be quite hot-tempered reportedly attacked the passenger after he was harassed and hit with a water bottle by the man identified as Melvin Townsend.

As per reports, Townsend, who hails from Punta Gorda, Florida, was listed as having ‘habitual felony offender status,’ for his regular offences. He has been convicted for several crimes ranging from fraud by identity theft to trafficking stolen property among others.

As per court records with the Clerk of Circuit Court in Charlotte County, Florida, Townsend was once sentenced to 25 months for grand theft. The 36-year-old has also been accused of possession of drug paraphernalia. In video footage that is circulating on social media, Townsend can be seen arguing with Tyson on the flight before the former boxing champion punches him in rage.

The incident happened on a Miami-bound Jet Blue flight which took off from San Francisco. Tyson’s spokesperson released a statement after the incident alleging that Townsend had thrown a bottle at the boxing legend and was constantly trying to harass him on the plane.

Also Read: Shocking! Mike Tyson loses his cool, punches fellow passenger in flight as video goes viral – WATCH    

“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,” Tyson’s spokesperson said in a statement.

A police investigation is currently underway into the matter. While Tyson’s representatives have claimed he was harassed by the 35-year-old, Townsend’s lawyer told the court his client didn’t throw any bottle at the boxing legend. “Our client denies throwing a water bottle prior to being struck by Mr. Tyson,” he said.