Knife. Oxygen tank. Fire. A terrifying incident at senior center has resulted in the arrest of a woman

Imagine being a senior citizen, reliant on oxygen, and suddenly finding yourself threatened with a knife and the very machine keeping you alive turned into a potential weapon.

This terrifying scenario became a reality for one resident at an Oklahoma City senior center, leading to a dramatic arrest... Continue reading here ▶

An Oklahoma woman, Marketta Bates, 33, was arrested for threatening a man at a senior center with a knife and trying to damage his oxygen tank.

On January 20th, police were called to the Jeltz Senior Center in Oklahoma City because of a fight. They found Bates in a common area. A man told police that Bates had pointed a knife at him and threatened to set his oxygen tank on fire. The police saw the man’s oxygen tank on the ground, leaking liquid.

Police body camera footage shows Bates saying she was visiting a relative. She let the police search her, and they found a knife in her bag.

The man told police he was selling clothes when Bates started arguing with him about her mother’s stolen phone. He said she got angry when he tried to calm her down and also yelled at other people there.

The situation got worse when Bates threatened to set the man’s oxygen tank on fire. He quickly disconnected the tubes, and other people tried to stop her. She then threw the oxygen tank on the ground and tried to set a trash can on fire.

The man also said Bates made motions like she was going to cut him with the knife.

Security camera footage mostly backed up the man’s story, except for the part about the knife.

Bates was arrested and charged with trying to set a fire and attacking someone with a dangerous weapon. She is being held on a $10,000 bond.