Cops 'slam man, 91, into their patrol car' and lead him away in handcuffs because he was 'pointing his stick at them in the street'

  • Tennessee police allegedly slammed a 91-year-old man into a cop car because they said he pointed a stick at them
  • Otha Thurmond was cited with disorderly conduct  but three witnesses say that one officer was aggressive with him and Thurmond did not raise his stick
  • Cell phone footage shows Thurmond being led away in handcuffs in Memphis
  • Police claim that Thurmond pointed his stick and them and interfered in an related assault case

By Mollie Cahillane For Dailymail.com

Published: | Updated:

A 91-year-old man in Memphis, Tennessee, was allegedly slammed into a police car and led away in handcuffs while walking down the street on Thursday.

Otha Thurmond was cited with disorderly conduct by Memphis police for pointing and waving a stick at them and interfering with an unrelated assault investigation.

Three witnesses said that Thurmond did not use his stick in a threatening manner and that one officer got aggressive with him.

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A 91-year-old man was arrested and detained by police in Memphis for allegedly waving a stick at them

A 91-year-old man was arrested and detained by police in Memphis for allegedly waving a stick at them

Three witnesses claim that police 'slammed him on the car' and that he did not use the stick in a threatening manner

Three witnesses claim that police 'slammed him on the car' and that he did not use the stick in a threatening manner

Cellphone footage shows Thurmond being led away in handcuffs, but does not show anything that happened previously

Cellphone footage shows Thurmond being led away in handcuffs, but does not show anything that happened previously

Cellphone footage shows the man being led away in handcuffs but it does not show what happened before.

'They asked him what is he doing with a stick. He said, "'I'm old, I need this stick,'" witness Niesha Lowe said to WREG. 'He showed it to them, they grabbed him, they slammed him on the car, put his arm all the way up here to the back of his back'

Thurmond has no criminal history, making his alleged treatment even more puzzling to his neighbors.

'I've never been in jail in my life. In jail! I never paid a traffic ticket in my life,' said Thurmond. 

Thurmond has no criminal history, which makes his alleged treatment more confusing for his neighbors

Thurmond has no criminal history, which makes his alleged treatment more confusing for his neighbors

Witness Niesha Lowe (pictured) said that police slammed Thurman against the car and that he showed the officers his stick

Witness Niesha Lowe (pictured) said that police slammed Thurman against the car and that he showed the officers his stick

Thurmond said he uses the stick to chase off dogs and that he never threatened the police

Thurmond said he uses the stick to chase off dogs and that he never threatened the police

Thurmond said he uses the stick to fend off dogs and never threatened the officers.

'He never raised his stick up in a threatening manner. They roughed him up, they threw him on the car as if he was some young thug,' said witness Carl Randolph.

Police made Thurmond sign a citation at around 4pm on Thursday. None of what witnesses say appears in the citation.

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