‘I got these scissors next to your face’: Hairdresser accused of holding customer hostage over $50 bill

A Memphis hair stylist has been arrested after holding a customer hostage over a $50 fee.

City police responded to an altercation at the Luv My Hair Salon on September 13. The victim, identified as Latoya Humphrey, was there to get her hair done and had paid the stylist, 31-year-old Mychelle Ray, a $50 deposit. She’d also paid her $410 through the online banking app Zelle for the services. Toward the end of the appointment, Ray demanded that the woman pay her an additional $50 surprise fee.

When the customer questioned the fee, Ray became “irate and began cursing and yelling at her,” according to an arrest affidavit. At one point, the stylist told the customer: “Don’t move because I got these scissors next to your face.”

The client tried leaving the salon, but Ray locked the door and blocked the exit.

The stylist then told her: “B**** you not going nowhere until you pay me.”

The victim called 911 for help and told authorities she was “in fear for her life,” the affidavit states. The stylist continued to hold the woman until officials informed her that doing so constituted a criminal offense.

Humphrey identified Ray in a six-person photo lineup, the affidavit states. The hairdresser was then charged with aggravated assault, a felony, and false imprisonment, a misdemeanor. She was taken to the Shelby County Jail and released after posting a $7,500 bond.

The woman’s next court hearing is scheduled for October 25 2024.