Mike Tyson Opens Up About Jet Blue Punching Incident With a Passenger
Mike Tyson for the first time commented on the Jet Blue punching incident that involved him and a passenger. JC Olivera/Getty Images

Mike Tyson, for the first time, broke his silence regarding the punching incident he had with a passenger on a Jet Blue plane and was recorded on a video.

TMZ reported that Tyson talked about the incident in an interview with the "Hotboxin" podcast. However, it was unclear when the boxing legend had the interview.

In the podcast, Tyson revealed that the passenger was "fu*****" with him and that he took a picture with the said individual.

He then admitted that the passenger, who became "overly excited for him," triggered him and acknowledged that the incident on the Jet Blue plane was a lose-lose situation.

He then acknowledged that his wife told him not to take public planes.

Mike Tyson and Jet Blue Passenger Incident

It can be recalled that Mike Tyson was recorded on a video punching a fellow passenger of a Jet Blue plane. Reports noted that the passenger reportedly harassed the boxing legend even before the plane took off.

Tyson's representative told New York Daily News that the passenger threw a water bottle at the athlete at one point, triggering the violence that was recorded. However, the lawyer of the passenger argued that there was no water bottle thrown at the boxing legend.

The lawyer of the passenger said that their client was a big Mike Tyson fan, that is why he became overly excited during their encounter.

The San Francisco Police Department detained at least two people following the incident. The passenger was reportedly treated for non-life-threatening injuries. However, reports claimed that he would not cooperate with the police after providing "minimal details" of what happened in the Jet Blue plane.

Meanwhile, a California District Attorney previously said that Mike Tyson would not face criminal charges in the aftermath of the punching incident in the Jet Blue plane.

The charges were reportedly withdrawn because of the conduct of the victim leading up to the incident and the interaction between Tyson and the passenger.

Passenger Who Received Mike Tyson's Punch Had Previous Police Interactions

TMZ identified the passenger who was punched by Mike Tyson as Melvin Townsend, III, and it is not his first time encountering the police, per New York Daily News.

In 2018, the 36-year-old Jet Blue passenger trespassed and stole a trailer by hitching it up to his pickup truck.

Townsend also reportedly had several criminal histories, including grand theft, fraud, possession of controlled substances, and burglary.

In addition, the said Jet Blue passenger also received a sentence to stay behind bars several times.

According to reports, Townsend first served his 20-month jail time and spent another 15 months in prison. The offenses that led to his sentences was unclear.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Roldan

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