Maryland Hairstylist Dragged Teen Across Shop Floor Over $150 Bill Dispute
The Maryland hairstylist, identified as 18-year-old Jayla Cunningham, has been charged with second-degree assault following the altercation. According to court records, the incident escalated after Cunningham completed a hair service for the teenager, which included adding a weave. When it came time for payment, things took a turn for the worse.
Reports indicate that an argument erupted when the teen claimed she had sent the payment via Cash App, but Cunningham insisted she had not received it. As tensions rose, the young client attempted to leave the salon, prompting Cunningham to take drastic action.
In a moment of frustration, Cunningham allegedly grabbed the teenager's hoodie and forcibly pulled her back into the salon. "She ran. Forget trash, she ran without paying me," Cunningham reportedly stated in an interview.
Viral video shows DC hair stylist dragging alleged teen client by her hair https://t.co/v355z7BTLX pic.twitter.com/TIwOobNIYF
— Allison Papson (@AllisonPapson) March 8, 2025
Security footage captured the dramatic scene, showing Cunningham dragging the girl down a hallway before pulling her into a room adjacent to a trash bag. In a heated exchange, Cunningham instructed the teen to stay on the floor while she left to retrieve scissors, intending to undo the hair service she had just completed.
"Sit right here until somebody sends it. I’m not f—king playing. You just tried to f—king run. You’re lucky I ain’t beat the s—t out of you," Cunningham was heard saying in the video, which has since gone viral.
After disappearing down the hallway, Cunningham returned and confronted the security camera, explaining her actions. "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," she said.
The teenager's mother later spoke out, claiming that her daughter had mistakenly sent the payment to the wrong person, which led to the misunderstanding. "It’s just absolutely absurd. It’s viral. It’s all over the country," the distraught mother expressed.
She further accused Cunningham of causing her daughter emotional distress, alleging that the hairstylist had pulled on her daughter's hair when she grabbed the hoodie, leaving the teen traumatized by the experience.
In defense of her actions, Cunningham argued that if she hadn’t intervened, the teen would have taken advantage of her services without paying. "I feel like if I didn’t do that, she would have been gone and I would have just never been paid," she stated.
The Prince George County District Attorney’s Office has since filed criminal charges against Cunningham, with a preliminary hearing scheduled for April 18. This incident is not Cunningham's first brush with the law; she was previously charged with three counts of second-degree assault in a separate case from October 2024, which is still pending a hearing on March 18.
