A salon owner and two of her employees in Birmingham, Alabama, were arrested on kidnapping and assault charges after holding a client captive inside the establishment over a payment dispute.
Who were the suspects involved in the altercation?
Aissatou Camara, Julia Ondo and Gwladys Nzinga-Koumba were taken into custody on Friday and charged in connection with the incident that occurred on Nov. 15, according to arrest warrant records for each suspect and WVTM.
The victim, Jessica Odom, took to TikTok and recounted her harrowing experience at Mama Gifted Hands, an African hair braiding salon. During the nearly three-minute video, Odom explained that she was looking for a salon to get her braids done and reached out to the establishment via text to schedule an appointment.
‘I got locked in the building’
According to the brief text exchange at the start of the clip, she inquired about the smedium boho knotless braids, and someone replied that it starts at $200, depending on the length.
Odom then inquired about the mid-back and butt length, to which the person stated that the hairstyle would also cost $200. When the salon offered same-day appointments, Odom jumped at the opportunity. In the clip, she praised the experience, citing both the hospitality and the service. Moments later, however, a woman was seen holding her by the hair, despite Odom reportedly having paid $200 for the braids.
“When I paid the $200, this happened,” she said in the video, showing a woman holding Odom’s hair while having a verbal dispute with her as she records the altercation. “I got locked in the building, and I was told that I could not leave, and that the service I received was actually $250,” Odom explained in the clip.
After Odom showed the woman the text thread confirming the service would cost $200, the stylist acknowledged it but still demanded she pay $250 for the braids. She said the woman wanted an additional $30 to $60 for the human hair they installed, even though Odom never asked for it.
Police stated that the salon workers assaulted Odom inside the establishment
“I was threatened, locked in — I tried to leave, got pushed back and my hair was pulled,” Odom said. “They pulled out my real hair while doing this. The police was called, and when they showed up, she started saying that I punched her, and I never did.”
After reviewing the camera footage, police told her that she had been assaulted, and she mentioned in the video that she’d pushed past her, as she tried to escape because she was being “held against her will.”
The video then shows the woman explaining her side to the officers. Odom’s voiceover stated that she would not recommend going to the salon if the service is anything like what she experienced.
Odom also told WVTM that she feared for her life after the salon owner and employees locked her inside the establishment.
“I did not try to escalate the situation,” Odom told the outlet. “I just tried to de-escalate, and that is also what made me pull out my camera. Because it’s like, if I try to record this, then maybe they won’t try to go to the extreme. I don’t know if they had weapons — guns. They could’ve done anything to me, especially locking me in the building not once, but twice. I didn’t know what to expect, and I feared for my life, honestly.”
WVTM reported that the outlet tried getting a response from the owner.
“Our crew waited for nearly an hour for her to show up, and she did. She went inside the salon, came back out and got in the car, and drove off,” adding that when they called her, “She said she talked to her attorney and decided not to do the interview.”