Employer pistol whips man for being late, then offers him $10K to stay quiet, cops say

An employer pistol whipped a worker for being late and sent him to the hospital, then tried paying him $10,000 to keep quiet, Tennessee police said.

Othman Elkhayyat, 35, has now been charged with aggravated assault, felony harassment and coercion of a witness, Shelby County records show.

The employee told authorities his boss became upset when he wasn’t on time for work Jan. 16, the Memphis Police Department reported in an arrest affidavit.

Then Elkhayyat pulled out a gun and began to pistol whip the employee in the face until he fled from the business, police said. The worker said he ran to a nearby business, and the attack continued.

He reported that as he ran away again, Elkhayyat fired one shot, according to Memphis authorities.

His friend took him to a hospital, where he had to undergo multiple jaw surgeries.

Two days later, investigators talked with the man in the hospital and received x-rays of his injuries. The next day, he called police again and told them Elkhayyat had threatened him and his son if he reported the incident, officials said.

He told police he worried for his son because Elkhayyat had “substantial resources and weapons,” investigators wrote in the affidavit.

He also reported that Elkhayyat sent his father to the hospital with an “unknown” document for him to sign in exchange for $10,000, according to police.

When he refused to sign the papers, the man threatened to break both his legs, police said. A few days later, he reported that Elkhayyat called him five times threatening to kill him, police said.

Elkhayyat was arrested Jan. 23 and booked in Shelby County jail on a $30,000 bond, which he posted, records show.

McClatchy News reached out to the man’s attorney Jan. 26 and did not immediately receive a response.

This story was originally published January 26, 2024 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Employer pistol whips man for being late, then offers him $10K to stay quiet, cops say."