A Maryland hairstylist who was seen dragging a 15-year-old girl by her hair after the client allegedly tried to leave without paying for her service has been sentenced to five years in jail.
Jayla Cunningham, 19, was convicted of second-degree assault in November over the vicious and physical dispute that took place in March at her hair salon.
Footage of the incident quickly went viral online as Cunningham was seen pulling the teenager by her hair and hood before pulling her back into the salon while yelling at her.
She then cut the weave out of the teen’s hair after claiming she did not pay her $150 hair style.
Meanwhile, the child’s mother said her daughter accidentally sent money to the wrong Cash App handle and was trying to sort it all out before things took a dark turn.
‘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,’ Cunningham told Fox 5.
Cunningham told the outlet she was not aware the client she assaulted was a 15-year-old at the time.
Jayla Cunningham, the Maryland hairstylist who was seen dragging her 15-year-old client across the floor after she claimed the teen was trying to skip out on paying, has been sentenced to five years in jail for her actions
Cunningham is seen in the viral clip brutally pulling the teenager by her hair and hood before cutting the weave out that day
She previously said she had no idea she was being charged until a journalist with the station approached her about it.
The girl’s mother said her daughter has been shaken up ever since the video went viral.
‘It’s just absolutely absurd,’ the mother told the outlet. ‘It’s viral, it’s all over the country.’
When asked how her daughter is dealing emotionally with all of this, she said her child is ‘not good at all.’
The girl’s family went on to hire lawyers to represent her in a civil lawsuit following the incident.
‘The video is horrendous,’ De’Aja Thompson with Jackson and Associates Law Firm, told the outlet.
‘It’s a 15-year-old girl, we’re talking about someone’s child here. A child who is being dragged across a salon floor by her jacket over something as simple as a mistake,’ Thompson added.
Since going viral, Cunningham said she has received death threats.
She also decided to move her salon for safety reasons, Cunningham told the outlet.
Since going viral, Cunningham said she has received death threats. She also decided to move her salon for safety reasons.
In the clip, she could be heard saying: ‘Sit right here until somebody sends it,’ to the teen. Cunningham originally posted the video to social media herself, according to Fox 5.
‘I’m not f***ing playing. You just tried to f***ing run,’ the foul-mouthed stylist continues. ‘You lucky I ain’t beat the s**t out [of] you.’
She could then be seen cutting part of the girl’s hair before she walks off-camera.
Meanwhile, the girl could be seen touching her hair and pulling herself up as Cunningham comes back into view and stares directly at the surveillance camera recording the March 2 incident.
