A Maryland hairstylist is charged with second-degree assault after a video showed her dragging a teenage client across a salon floor for allegedly attempting to leave her appointment without paying.
Jayla Cunningham, an 18-year-old stylist, posted the now-viral March 2 altercation online, showing her dragging the young client by her hood and then throwing her on the ground after she allegedly tried to leave without paying, according to Washington, D.C.
In the video, Cunningham, who goes by Jayla Amora on social media, is heard telling her client, “Sit right here until somebody sends it,” implying that she is referring to the appointment fee.
“I am not f—— playing. You just attempted to f—— run. You’re lucky I didn’t beat the s— out of you,” she says, as video footage later shows Cunningham cutting the weave she had installed out of the teenager’s hair.
The hairstylist stated that the service, including the weave, cost $150, and that if she hadn’t dragged the client back inside, she would not have paid for it.
The teen’s mother, however, told FOX 5 that her daughter had accidentally sent the money to the wrong account and was attempting to correct the error.
“Forget trash, she ran off without paying me,” Cunningham told the outlet. “I dragged her by her hood back into the salon until I could get paid or, you know, until the police come or until, you know, she let me take out the service, because it’s like she literally ran outside, like she was about to be gone.”
“I feel like if I didn’t do that, she would have been gone,” says the hair stylist, “and I would have just never been paid.”
Cunningham is now facing a second-degree assault charge, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE. It is unclear whether she has legal representation.
Cunningham told Fox 5 that she has a witness who can back up her claims. She added that after the video went viral, she received death threats and was forced to relocate her salon.
Meanwhile, the client’s family has hired Upper Marlboro-based law firm Jackson and Associates to represent the teenager, according to FOX 5. In an interview with the outlet, attorney De’Aja Thompson described the video of the alleged assault as “horrendous”.
“This is a 15-year-old girl. “We’re talking about someone’s child here,” Thompson explained. “A child who is being dragged across a salon floor by her jacket over something as simple as a mistake.”
Thompson told PEOPLE, “This appalling incident involving a minor child and an adult stylist was most certainly avoidable.” Unfortunately, this case is only one example of what happens when citizens take the law into their own hands.
As a result, in this case, a young girl suffered physical and psychological injuries for what ultimately proved to be a mistake, and another young lady is now facing criminal charges that could have far-reaching consequences.”
When speaking with FOX 5, the client’s mother echoed Thompson’s comments, saying, “It’s just absolutely absurd.”
“It went viral. The alleged assault is being reported all over the country, she added. When asked how her daughter is dealing with the situation emotionally, the concerned mother responded, “Emotionally, not good. “Not good at all.”
On March 8, Cunningham wrote on Instagram Stories, “I’m okay yall thank yall love yall [sic].”
According to court records obtained by PEOPLE, Cunningham will make her first appearance in court on April 18 for a preliminary inquiry.
