Mike Tyson airplane assault victim Melvin Townsend III lawyers up and releases statementÂ
Hours after the video of Mike Tyson battering a fellow passenger on an airplane surfaced, the man on the receiving end of the punches was identified by the authorities as a Florida resident named Melvin Townsend III.
It was also revealed that Townsend has quite an extensive criminal history dating back to 2018-2019.
TMZ Sports was the first to break the news of the assault along with a video of the incident that took place on a Miami-bound JetBlue Airbus at San Francisco International Airport. One can see 'Iron' lose his cool towards the end of the clip after being subjected to animated gestures by Townsend for a considerable period of time.
Watch the clip below:
A new TMZ report revealed further information on the situation.
Melvin Townsend has reportedly sought legal assistance from the law firm 'Morgan & Morgan' in light of the incident.
Matt Morgan from Morgan & Morgan, will rep Melvin Townsend III if he decides to sue Mike Tyson for his physical injuries and emotional distress https://t.co/dQCTnHFbvL
His legal representative, attorney Matt Morgan, provided the following statement to TMZ:
"Our client is a big Mike Tyson fan. When Mike Tyson first 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. The 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. 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."
Mike Tyson's representatives had previously claimed that the former boxing champion's actions were incited by an "aggressive passenger", who threw a water bottle at him.
Despite his actions, Mike Tyson has received support from the combat sports community. Several big names, including the likes of Dana White, Jake Paul, Dustin Poirier and more, have taken to social media to back the former heavyweight champion.
Hey dummies, for future reference, this is how you stay alive when bumping into @MikeTyson on an airplane. https://t.co/gJFoKOtmkO
Mike Tyson airplane assault victim has a criminal history
Hailing from Punta Gorda, Florida, Melvin Townsend is a 36-year-old man who was listed as having "habitual felony offender status" in 2019. Townsend has been convicted of fraud by identity theft, grand theft, burglary, possession of controlled substances without a prescription, and trafficking in property.
Townsend has spent time behind bars as well. According to court records with the Clerk of the Circuit Court in Charlotte County, Florida, Townsend was sentenced to 25 months for grand theft, per USA Today.
Another TMZ report stated that he served time twice - once for 20 months and then for 15 months.
In an initial statement released by the San Francisco Police Department's Airport Bureau, Townsend "refused to cooperate further with the police investigation" after he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries post-detention.