Ice-T and Gene Simmons defend Mike Tyson after boxer punches heckler on flight
nme.comIce-T and Gene Simmons are among those who shared support for Mike Tyson over the weekend, after the former heavyweight champion repeatedly punched a passenger on a flight bound for Miami.As reported by TMZ, Tyson was embroiled in the altercation last Wednesday (April 20) when a punter sat behind him on the JetBlue flight started loudly heckling and antagonising the boxer.
Footage obtained by the gossip site shows Tyson landing several blows on the man – later identified as 36-year-old Melvin Townsend III – who appears bloodied after the battering.Tyson’s representatives said Townsend was acting “aggressive” towards the boxer – who was en route to Miami for a speaking engagement at the Benzinga Cannabis Conference – and claimed that in addition to verbally “harassing” him, Townsend “threw a water bottle at him while he was in his seat”.In a subsequent statement shared with TMZ, the San Francisco Police Department said officers detained two people alleged to be involved in the altercation, however one of them – believed to be Townsend, having been treated for injuries – “provided minimal details of the incident and refused to cooperate further with the police investigation”.In the days since the incident took place, a handful of celebrities have come out in defence of Tyson’s conduct.
Social media personality Jake Paul was among the boxer’s earliest supporters, Tweeting: “If you’re being heckled in public like Mike Tyson was you should legally get a hall pass to beat someone’s ass.
This generation thinks they can get away with anything.”Simmons echoed Paul’s sentiment, Tweeting in response: “Agreed!” Ice-T, meanwhile, shared a string of his own takes on the matter – he called Townsend a “clownass” who “forgot he was NOT.
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