Naked Elderly Black Man Held At Gunpoint In His Yard While Cops Searched For Teens

A Black man in South Carolina filed a lawsuit against the police after he was allegedly held at gunpoint and made to stand naked in his yard when the cops stormed his property to chase a group of teenagers.

The 71-year-old man said in the lawsuit he feared for his life and was embarrassed because at least one female officer was present at the scene.

The police were chasing a group of teenagers, who were suspected of breaking into cars, when they forced their way into Jethro DeVane’s property on the night of the incident. When DeVane peered out of his door to check what the noise was about, an officer made him stand naked, while facing the wall, as he held a gun to DeVane's head.

The police bodycam video of the incident, obtained by DeVane's lawyer, was released Tuesday. The video of the June 2019 episode in Rock Hill showed DeVane standing stark naked outside his home at around 4.00 a.m. ET.

The accused officer was identified as Vincent Mentesana, who was seen in the video cursing DeVane, the Associated Press (AP) reported. Mentesana was also heard in the video asking DeVane not to close the door.

The lawsuit alleged Mentesana held the gun to DeVane’s head for at least 90 seconds as the police searched his home. It said cops didn’t have a warrant to search his home. Once the search was over, Mentesana let DeVane go and clarified why police arrived at his neighborhood.

The lawsuit claimed gross negligence, emotional distress, and false imprisonment, but did not ask for a certain amount of dollars in compensation, according to AP.

At a news conference held Tuesday, DeVane said he feared if he attempted to close the door or grab some clothes, officer Mentesana would open fire.

"I did what the man said. He had the weapon. He could have taken my life in a minute," DeVane said at the news conference. "I won’t get over it the rest of my life."

"Why do we have to be here advocating for human decency and human dignity? It is utterly ridiculous and it is unacceptable," DeVane’s lawyer, Justin Bamberg, said during the conference. "And it needs to stop before there is a death. God forbid if Mr. DeVane had panicked like a lot of people would and tried to close that door."

DeVane’s lawsuit said Rock Hill police chief described Mentesana’s conduct as discourteous but defended the searching of the former's home without a warrant. Following the incident, Mentesana reportedly requested a transfer from the Rock Hill Police Department to the city's utility department in February. It wasn't clear if the request was processed.