Intense video shows moment Birmingham woman says she was locked inside salon over $50
By Ayron Lewallen
Click here for updates on this story
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WVTM) — An intense TikTok video with more than a million views shows a Birmingham woman’s experience being locked inside a braiding salon and having her hair pulled out over $50. Now, she is demanding for the salon owner’s arrest.
Jessica Odom told WVTM 13 she was excited to get her hair braided at Mama Gifted Hands on Parkway East in Birmingham’s Roebuck area. She said she loved the way her hair looked after she got out of the chair, but that quickly changed.
Odom said she texted the salon owner directly to book her appointment. In the text messages, you can see she asked how much for boho knotless braids and the owner responded with $200. When Odom got to her appointment, she appreciated the hospitality she received from the staff, but that changed when she pulled out the cash to pay for the service.
Odom said the woman who braided her hair was not the owner, with whom she discussed the cost of the hairstyle. She said the owner told her the stylist used human hair to do the style, and now she owed another $50. Odom said she explained they previously agreed on the price, and she wasn’t going to pay any more money.
Odom said she started walking towards the door when the owner asked her for $30 instead of the original $50, or if she couldn’t pay $30, she could sit down so she and other employees could cut the hair out. That’s when Odom claims the owner locked her inside the salon.
Odom said she tussled with the owner and other employees while trying to unlock the door, and finally got it opened when she felt someone grab her by her hair. Odom said they pushed her back into the salon and locked the door again. Video shows the employees pulled on her hair for another 30 to 40 minutes until police showed up.
“I did not try to escalate the situation,” Odom said. “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 13 went to the salon to get a response from the owner and was told by another employee that she was willing to give her side of the story. 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. We called her and she said she talked to her attorney and decided not to do the interview.
Birmingham police confirmed officers helped Odom file a report. Odom said she hired an attorney to represent her.
This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate partner and does not contain original CNN reporting.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.