Police Looking For Man Who Allegedly Committed 'Snip And Ditch' At Hair Salon In Burbank

BURBANK (CBSLA.com) —  You've heard of dine and dash. Now there is an equivalent for hair salons.

Customers get their hair worked on and than dash out without paying. Burbank Police said they are looking for a "Snip and Ditch" suspect who dashed out of the Joseph Lamar Hair Salon Tuesday morning.

KCAL9's Amber Lee talked to the frustrated hairdresser who worked on the man.

"It's like going into the store and walking out with something. They got a service they didn't pay for," said Gabriela Smallwood.

She said the suspect walked into the salon without an appointment and asked for a haircut and color. He told the salon his name was Tony Azini.

"He suggested that we did the cut first and then the color. So he kinda had a little game plan on how he likes things done," Smallwood said.

She now believes his suggestion was part of a bigger plan -- to make a beeline out of the salon without paying. He ran out with dye on his head, still wearing the salon's smock.

Before dashing out, he told workers he had to go to his truck to get his iPad or laptop.

Smallwood is angry that she was taken advantage of.

"Just very disgusted that there are actually people who do that. You know, this is how we make our living just like anything else."

As Smallwood sees it, it's $100 bucks down the drain. The man gave the salon a bogus phone number. No doubt, he also gave them a phony name.

She told Lee she's hoping that getting the word out will keep other salons from suffering a similar fate.

"I just want them to know that this guy is doing this. Don't be another person that gets caught up doing the work and not getting paid for it," she said.

Burbank police say if the man is caught he could face a misdemeanor. Detectives are now asking anyone with information about the suspect to contact them.