A Tennessee hairstylist was arrested and charged after locking her client inside a hair salon, threatening her with scissors, and demanding she pay an extra, surprise $50 fee.
Authorities arrested the stylist, 31-year-old Mychelle Ray, on Oct. 9 and charged her with aggravated assault and false imprisonment.
The arrest affidavit obtained by WMC states that the client visited Luv My Hair Salon in Memphis on Sept. 13 for a hair appointment with Ray. The client had already paid a $50 deposit prior to the appointment and then paid Ray another $410 at the salon for the hairstyle.
As the client was about to leave the salon, Ray demanded another $50 but never specified what the fee was for.
When the customer questioned the charge, Ray became “irate and started cursing,” according to the affidavit, then told the client, “Don’t move, because I got these scissors next to your face.”
When the customer tried to leave, Ray locked the door, blocked the exit, and said, “B—, you not going nowhere until you pay me.”
The client called 911 and Ray finally let her leave the salon after a dispatcher told the stylist that she was committing a crime.
Ray was booked into a local jail and posted a $7,500 bond to be released pending her trial.
A similar case happened in Memphis in January when a hairstylist was charged after a dispute over a payment for a braided hairstyle escalated to violence.
The stylist, 23-year-old Jazmine Withers, was charged with false imprisonment and aggravated assault after allegedly fighting a client and cutting out braids she had just installed because of a disagreement about payment for services.
Withers also allegedly refused to let the client leave and threatened her with a pistol. The client reportedly had to fight her way out of Withers’ apartment.