An incident captured on video has since gone viral, causing London city officials to shut down the shop as protestors have gathered to condemn the owner’s abusive action towards a customer.
It all went down Monday when Edilenny Dotel, 18, visited Peckham Hair and Cosmetics. She was there requesting a refund for items she purchased. After Sohail Sindho, 45, refused, the two began to get into an altercation, leading Sindho to place his hands around Dotel’s throat.
Sindho said Dotel was trying to leave his store with items she did not pay for, but Dotel says she was taking items she already owned. In the video, Sindho is seen blocking the exit of the store as Dotel attempted to leave.
The video also purports to show Dotel hitting Sindho in the head with a basket before Sindho proceeds to place his hands around her throat.
Since then, police arrested the woman and questioned the store’s owner. He was not arrested.
Meanwhile, a growing group of demonstrators gathered outside the shop in protest to what was seen in the video. In videos that have circulated online, dozens are seen chanting while others spoke to news cameras about what they think is an assault against the Black community.
According to MyLondon, another protest has been scheduled for this weekend.
In a statement, Detective Chief Superintendent Seb Adjei-Addoh, local policing commander for Southwark said: “I would like to thank local people for their patience as we work to establish the full circumstances around the allegations made. We continue to examine various clips of footage that depict small sections of the wider incident and are working to establish what offences were committed and by whom.
He continued: “My officers will be patrolling Rye Lane today to provide reassurance to the community – I know that this incident will cause concern and I urge anyone who is worried to speak with their local policing team or with officers on patrol.”
