ROCK HILL, SC (WCMH/AP) – Authorities in South Carolina say a barber with a history of aggressive behavior toward potential customers faces charges for pulling a gun on a man and telling him he “does not cut black hair.”
“I asked him does he shave, Can I have a shave?'” Arthur Hill told NBC affiliate WCNC-TV. “I asked him does he shave, can he shave me, and he said, ‘I don’t do black hair.'”
A York County Sheriff’s Office report says when the man asked Larry Thomas, 65, what he meant, the man said Thomas grabbed a pistol and held it at his side.
“I said, ‘Are you referring to African American hair?’ He said, ‘Yeah,’ and at the time I noticed he already had his hand gripped on a .38 snub nose chrome revolver,” Hill said. “I was shocked, I was shocked for my life, because I’m thinking that could’ve been me laying on the floor dead.”
Hill said he left and then called police who came and arrested Thomas. The barber later told WCNC that he doesn’t cut black hair because he donsn’t know how.
“I’ve had black people come in the door before and I tell them I don’t cut black hair,” Thomas said.
Public Information Officer Trent Faris said in one of eight similar instances dating back to 2007, Thomas, who is white, used pepper spray on a customer after getting into an argument.
Thomas is jailed for pointing and presenting firearms at a person. His bond is $3,000, and it’s not known if he has an attorney.The Associated Press contributed to this report.What others are clicking on: