Case closed. Mike Tyson won’t be charged for an incident involving an unruly passenger last month on a JetBlue plane, a California district attorney announced Tuesday.
“We have reviewed the police reports of the San Francisco Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office and have viewed the various videos collected by law enforcement from others on the airplane,” San Mateo County District Attorney Steven Wagstaffe told USA Today in a statement.
“Our decision is that we will not file any charges against Mr. Tyson based on the circumstances surrounding the confrontation,” the statement continued.
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The April 20 incident happened after Tyson boarded a flight from San Francisco International Airport to Miami.
The man involved has been identified as Melvin Townsend III of Punta Gorda, Florida. Video obtained by TMZ showed Tyson, 55, punching Townsend, 36, in the face multiple times.
Prior to the incident, you can see Townsend excitedly chatting behind Tyson’s seat and he would not leave the former heavyweight champion alone. Then suddenly Tyson starts throwing punches from over his seat. Witnesses said the man was intoxicated and wouldn’t stop bothering the boxing legend.
Townsend was treated for non-life-threatening injuries after the incident. Both Tyson and Townsend later requested that charges not be filed in the case.
According to Charlotte County, Florida court records obtained by multiple media outlets, Townsend has a long rap sheet and was listed as having “habitual felony offender status” in 2019.
