OCALA, Fla. — Three young men who apparently considered a barber chair, a cellphone and a busy highway a promising combination are now facing criminal charges after their social media haircut stunt ended with one of them seriously injured.
Police say the group hauled a chair from a nearby restaurant onto the dividing median of State Road 200, seated a customer and started cutting his hair while recording the proceedings.
A regular barbershop presumably lacked the exciting possibility of being hit by a pickup.
Christopher Coleman, 20, Andrew Costa-De Souza, 19, and Ruben Rodriguez, 18, were arrested following the Sept. 27 incident. Ocala police announced the arrests Wednesday, Oct. 28. All three face charges of unlawful assembly and dangerous use of public rights-of-way.
According to investigators, Rodriguez occupied the chair, Costa-De Souza handled the haircut and Coleman recorded the video. The group set up shortly after 8 p.m. along Southwest College Road, also known as State Road 200.
Police reports described them as wearing dark clothing in a poorly lit area of the busy roadway.
So the planning process apparently accounted for the camera angle more carefully than visibility, traffic or escape routes.
While the haircut was underway, a nearby collision involving a Chevrolet 3500 pickup and an SUV sent the truck onto the median.
Coleman and Costa-De Souza managed to move out of its path. Rodriguez, seated with his back toward the approaching vehicle, was struck and suffered serious injuries. Paramedics transported him to a hospital.
Authorities have not provided an updated account of his condition in the reports reviewed.
Importantly, it has not been established that the haircut stunt caused the initial vehicle collision. Police said neither driver showed signs of impairment.
The men’s decision nevertheless placed them exactly where an out-of-control truck ended up — a location generally avoided by barbershops with even a passing interest in repeat customers.
The arrests followed over the next several weeks.
Coleman was arrested Oct. 13 and released the following day after posting a $2,000 bond, according to the Ocala Star-Banner. Rodriguez was booked Oct. 19 and released Oct. 21 after posting a $5,000 bond.
Costa-De Souza was taken into custody at Orlando International Airport after returning from an overseas trip. He was booked Oct. 26 and released the next day on his own recognizance, the newspaper reported.
All three are accused of participating in what investigators described as a social media haircut challenge. The charges remain allegations.
Ocala police used the case to deliver advice that, until recently, probably did not need its own announcement: Do not stage entertainment in an active roadway.
The department warned that such stunts endanger participants and motorists and will not be tolerated.
A haircut normally requires deciding how much to take off the sides. This one required police reports, hospital treatment and three arrests.
Next time, perhaps an appointment.
