Don’t Mess with Mike Tyson

Tyson leaves man blue on JetBlue

Diego Gonzalez, Staff Writer

Mike Tyson, the boxing legend, threw blows at a passenger who was apparently disturbing him on a flight out of San Francisco International Airport on Wednesday night.

The individual whose assigned seat on the flight was behind Tyson was repeatedly struck by the boxing legend. Tyson allegedly punched the man, leaving him with a bloody face.

The altercation happened around 10:30 p.m., when Tyson boarded a JetBlue flight to Florida, according to TMZ Sports. The passenger who was hit by Tyson was “very inebriated and wouldn’t stop harassing the boxer in his seat.”

According to Tyson’s spokesperson, the passenger threw a water bottle at the 55 year-old. Tyson’s spokesperson also said “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 did not appear upset at first, according to a fellow passenger and witness to the incident. But after Tyson snapped a selfie with the man, the stranger allegedly continued to try to communicate with Tyson. Tyson became obviously enraged and instructed the man to quit trying to communicate with him.

Witnesses claim Tyson became physical as a result of the person’s refusal to comply. Witnesses said Tyson walked off the plane after striking the man in the face multiple times. The individual who was harmed in the incident received medical assistance and reported the incident to the police.

Tyson was in San Francisco on Wednesday, according to SF Gate, for the city’s 420 cannabis festival in Golden Gate Park. According to ESPN, while San Francisco Police declined to name the people engaged in the incident, it did say that two people were held at the airport and later released.

One of the subjects was treated at the site for non-life threatening injuries, but only provided a few information about what transpired and refused to participate with the police inquiry any further. The passenger has been identified as Melvin Townsend, 36, who has a prior criminal record, according to TMZ.

Townsend was found guilty of fraud, grand theft, burglary, possession of prohibited narcotics, and trafficking in stolen items.