‘The Police Did Nothing!’: Louisiana Mother Seen In Video Struggling with Hairstylist Trying to Cut Off 11-Year-Old Girl’s Braids Over Late Fee; Family Demands Charges After Stylist Was Fired
A Louisiana hairstylist attempted to chop off a child’s newly installed braids because the girl’s mother refused to pay a late fee.
Conchota Singleton wrote on Facebook that her 11-year-old granddaughter was supposed to get her hair done at the Draft Picks barbershop in Baton Rouge on April 14, but the stylist canceled and requested to reschedule the appointment for the day after.
Singleton said the next day, the girl and her mother were 10 minutes late to the new appointment.
The stylist’s policy dictates that any client who is more than 10 minutes late to their appointment will be charged a $25 late fee.
“My daughter said, ‘Well, your grace period states that I’m late after ten minutes. I was here at 5:10,’” Singleton told WBRZ.
Singleton said that her daughter already paid for the style upfront, and the stylist went ahead and braided the girl’s hair, but the situation went south as soon as the mother refused to pay the late fee. Surveillance video showed the hairstylist grab a pair of scissors with one hand and the girl’s braids with another and then attempt to cut the braids off.
The girl’s mother intervenes, grappling with the stylist to protect her daughter’s style. Footage shows her and the stylist forcefully tugging at the child’s braids, both trying to gain control. The girl was wrenched out of the chair during the struggle. The confrontation ended after a barber and another client stepped in to separate the stylist and the mom.
“My breath caught. When you see it, I’m like ‘Oh my God,’” Singleton said of her reaction to the footage. “You just don’t know what’s gonna happen next because I don’t know what her intent is at this point.”
The girl’s braids were left intact, but the mother’s hand was sliced by the scissors during the altercation. Baton Rouge police were called to the shop, but Singleton proclaimed “they did not nothing.” No criminal charges were filed.
“They told me that there was no intent, that she was not trying to cut my daughter’s hand, but my issue is once she picked up scissors, she became a threat,” Singleton said.
Singleton said that her daughter, who’s 6 months pregnant, was traumatized by the event. She and her family plan to take the case to the district attorney’s office to press charges.
“One, you canceled the initial appointment. Two, you picked up scissors to a child’s head, regardless of the intent. You picked scissors up,” Singleton said. “That doesn’t make any sense to me. …You do not have the right to cut the style out of the child’s head. There’s ways to handle things. You can’t take the law into your own hands.”
The Draft Picks Barbershop released a statement apologizing to Singleton’s family and told WBRZ the stylist had been fired.
“We extend our sincerest apologies to the client and family affected, and to anyone who may feel uneasy as a result of this situation,” Draft Picks Owner TJ Malveaux said. “This incident does not reflect the values or standards we uphold at Draft Picks. We are taking immediate steps to review and strengthen our policies, as well as provide additional training to our staff, to ensure that every client continues to feel safe, respected, and welcomed in our chairs.”
In a similar story, a Maryland hairstylist was charged with second-degree assault in March after a surveillance video went viral showing the stylist dragging her 15-year-old client by her hair through the salon for not paying the $150 service fee. The stylist also cut the teen’s newly installed weave out with scissors.