More than a year after declining to file charges against Mike Tyson for repeatedly punching him in the face on a plane, Tyson’s victim is looking for compensation to the tune of $450,000.
Last year, while on a flight from San Francisco to Florida, Tyson greeted people on the flight. While he’s mellowed out as he’s gotten older, he’s still not someone you’d want to mess with or annoy. Melvin Townsend III didn’t seem to get that memo. Townsend asked Tyson for a selfie which Tyson obliged. However, Townsend was also drunk and continued to bug Tyson and try to talk to him. What’s worse is that Townsend was seated behind Tyson. Tyson told Townsend to relax and leave him alone but he continued. Eventually, Tyson punched Townsend several times in the face.
Townsend wasn’t injured badly; he had a few cuts on his face. A month later San Mateo County district attorney Steve Wagstaffe announced that no charges were being filed against Tyson or Townsend. Now over a year later, Townsend wants a payout. In a letter reviewed by the LA Times, it almost reads like a ransom note.
In exchange for that amount, Mr. Townsend will provide your client with a mutually-agreeable release that will bar him from filing a future lawsuit, as well as reasonable terms requested by your client,” Jondle wrote in the letter. “If we are unable to reach an agreement, we will continue to prepare Mr. Townsend’s case for the filing of a lawsuit.
“There will be no shakedown payment,” Tyson’s attorney Alex Spiro told the Times. Townsend’s lawyer, meanwhile, obviously paints his client as a victim who has suffered since the incident, particularly via job opportunity losses due to Townsend’s new notoriety.
A shot to the face from even an older Mike Tyson could have done some serious damage to Townsend. I know annoying seat mates on flights can really ruin your day, but violence isn’t the answer, no matter how annoying Townsend’s conduct. Whether you are the former heavyweight champion of the world or just a regular passenger; let the flight attendants handling the assholes.