Who is Melvin Townsend III? Flight passenger punched by Mike Tyson reportedly has long criminal history

Melvin Townsend III has a long criminal history prior to his confrontation with Mike Tyson on the flight (Image via JGilliam_SEAL/Twitter)

Mike Tyson punched Melvin Townsend III on a JetBlue airplane, recently. The incident reportedly took place on a flight that took off for Florida from the San Francisco International Airport.

It has now been revealed that Melvin has a long criminal record. He was previously convicted of fraud, grand theft, burglary, possession of controlled substances, and trafficking in stolen property. Melvin broke into a property in 2018 and stole a trailer that he hitched to his pickup. He has also been accused of possessing the drug, oxycodone.

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The official documents have not revealed any further details, but it has been disclosed that he served time in jail twice for 20 months and 15 months respectively.

Conflict between Mike Tyson and Melvin Townsend III

Melvin Townsend III was punched by Mike Tyson after the former annoyed Tyson (Image via d3vilicious/Twitter)

Melvin Townsend III came into the limelight after being beaten up by Mike Tyson on a plane. However, as it turns out, the 36-year-old has a long criminal history and is familiar with legal trouble.

Mike Tyson punched Melvin on the flight and left him with an injured face. The latter was an overly excited fan who kept talking in his ear repeatedly, despite Tyson requesting him to calm down. Witnesses mentioned that Tyson was initially cool with all his fans on the flight requesting him for pictures. He obliged and took selfies with them as well.

Melvin, sitting in the row behind Tyson, could not stop bothering him. While the boxer was patient to begin with, he became angry after Melvin continued to annoy him and punched him a few times. Melvin then received medical attention for his injury and law enforcement became involved.

An online news website also released a video of the attack and witnesses said that Tyson left the aircraft a few seconds after hitting the man. San Francisco Police grabbed two unidentified passengers from the flight and provided a video of the assault to San Mateo County cops.

Also known as Iron Mike, Kid Dynamite, and The Baddest Man on the Planet, Mike Tyson one of the greatest heavyweight boxers of all time. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990.