A Washington D.C. nail salon owner was injured on Tuesday after trying to prevent a customer from leaving without paying, FOX 5 DC reports.
The incident took place at Blue Bell Nail Salon at 700 O Street in Northwest, according to WUSA9. Co-owner and manager Ryan Kim said two customers requested services that totaled $208.
One woman left while the other stayed behind to pay. The woman’s debit card declined and she left to get cash from a bank. She left her bags behind as collateral, FOX 5 DC reports.
She returned with a bank receipt to prove she had money on the card and would come back to pay later. Employees locked the doors and called the police to prevent the woman from leaving.
Kim wasn’t present at the salon, but his mother Jean was. Jean stood between the woman and the door to prevent her from leaving. A video of the incident shows Jean being knocked to the ground as she hangs onto the woman’s bag to try and take it back.
Kim says a good samaritan intervened and helped his mother up. He also offered to pay for the woman’s services.
“He just threw down the cash and left,” said Kim. “And amidst all the chaos, unfortunately we never got to thank this person.”
The man was later identified as Dr. Albert Coombs. He told FOX 5 DC that he is aware how stressful that pandemic has been for businesses and customers who have lost income. He said he didn’t know “what the situation was but if it could be resolved by money” he would pay to “have it done.”
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