Employee Caught On Video Hitting Customer Prompts Protest, Boycott Of Tulsa Store

An assault caught on camera prompted a boycott of a Tulsa beauty supply store.

Anna & Jun’s Beauty Supply, located near Pine and Peoria, is usually open on Mondays, but it’s closed now, after a protest over a videotaped encounter between a store employee and a customer.

April Harding still has a swollen lip after getting three stitches.

“He didn’t have to do anything that he did,” said Harding.  “Especially not hit me in my face.”

Video of the incident shows a store employee follow Harding out and, after they exchange words, hits her.

Harding says that what happened before what’s shown on the video was the employee confronting her 3-year-old who had picked up a keychain and almost walked out with it.

“We had words and then I attempted to walk away from him,” she said.  “When I did, I did my hand like this, like ‘whatever,’ and when I did, he grabbed my arm and spun me around and punched me in the lip.”

That video from Sunday prompted an all-day protest at the store on Monday.

“How is it that he can continue to have a store here and punch a woman whenever he gets ready?” asked area resident Iye Mooamusan.

Reverend Mario Johnson says, “if we’re not treated with respect, they don’t need to be open.”

The store on North Peoria was closed Monday and the lights were off.  Their other store on South Peoria was closed as well.

“We need to shut this store down,” stated area resident Kristi Williams.  “They don’t deserve one penny from us.”

Harding is just glad someone was recording so the incident was caught on video.

“Nobody would know about it and he wouldn’t be shut down today,” she said.

A police report was made, but there has been no arrest.

Attempts to contact the store’s owner to see if they had any other explanation for what happened were unsuccessful.