Passenger Punched By Mike Tyson Has Long Criminal History

Photo Courtesy of Instagram (@miketyson) & Florida Dept. of Corrections

The man punched by Mike Tyson on a JetBlue flight has a lengthy criminal history.

According to TMZ, 36-year-old Melvin Townsend III was previously convicted of “fraud, grand theft, burglary, drug possession of controlled substances, and trafficking of stolen property.”

In 2018, Townsend broke into a house and stole a trailer, which he hitched to his pickup. He was charged, in a separate case, with possessing oxycodone. Apparently, he did prison time twice, once for 20 months and another for 15 months.

As previously reported, Tyson allegedly punched a drunken Townsend during a JetBlue flight from San Francisco International Airport to Florida.

Video footage obtained by TMZ showed the man incessantly taunting and harassing the 55-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion. Eventually, Tyson shut him up with a few punches, making him bleed to prove his point.

The video has since been circulating on social, causing the punchee to become somewhat of a celebrity.

Since being identified, fans have shown support for Tyson, claiming Townsend’s criminal record and reckless harassment do not make him a victim.

Police have reported the situation, but no charges have been made yet.