A TikToker from Texas is being held in Dubai and faces two years in prison for “screaming” at a rental vehicle agency employee.
Tierra Allen, also known as “Sassy Trucker” to her 182,800 followers, has been stuck in the tight nation since police took away her passport, according to the charity group Detained in Dubai.
The Houston social media sensation, 29, alleges the yelling was caused by a verbal altercation between herself and the manager of a local vehicle rental store in April when she dropped in to pick up her personal items.
The day before the explosion, Allen and her companion were engaged in a small traffic accident close to the Arabian Gulf. As a result, Allen’s credit cards, debit cards, smartphone, and rental car were all seized, along with her rental car.
The manager allegedly responded hostilely against Allen and demanded cash in return for the items.
“He followed me out of the building, and I was terrified. I ordered him to stop, but he instead dialed 911 and filed a report against me, allegedly for “screaming,” according to Allen.
“I can’t believe he scared me; I told him to stop, and now the police are telling me I can’t go home,” the speaker said.
They refused to allow me to go even though I said that I had to get back to the US for a medical emergency.
According to Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling, the police seized Allen’s passport and said they had spent the previous three months debating whether or not to charge the influencer for yelling in public, which is seen as an obnoxious act punishable by up to two years in jail.
Despite not having been imprisoned, Allen is unable to leave the country.
The organization, however, thinks Allen was arrested as part of a vehicle rental company extortion plot, and some local police may have been complicit.
It is quite typical for rental vehicle companies to file lawsuits against clients in an effort to demand money. The goal is that whomever they believe to be a ‘rich foreigner’ would pay them money to dismiss the lawsuit, according to Stirling.
“Holidaymakers will pay exorbitant prices even when they are being taken advantage of only to hurry home to their families and work. Rental vehicle companies profit from insurance payouts and demand more money from victims. They are in it for the money.
Allen could have been a target due to her opulent possessions and irresponsible spending in the days before her arrest.
The social media sensation has been documenting on YouTube her numerous beach outings, nightclub excursions, and opulent dining during her brief stay in the United Arab Emirates.
Allen, who had been to Dubai before, was there for a holiday with friends but was also thinking about starting a trucking company.
She claimed at the beginning of her film titled “The Sassy Trucker Moved to Dubai?” that she “might be the first female truck driver to ever drive a semi-truck in Dubai.”
The reason Allen has such a large fan base is that she has chronicled her work as a female truck driver. She wants “to show that you can still be feminine in a male-dominated field.”
Stirling thinks authorities singled her out because she is black and a woman as punishment for her feminist activism.
Allen has been detained in Dubai, and her family has been in contact with federal Texas officials to aid with her release without caving into the demands of the rental company.
The family of Stirling and Allen is asking Texas legislators, such as Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, for assistance.
“We have spoken with Tierra Young Allen’s family and have contacted the Department of State about the case,”. “Sen. Cruz will keep investigating and working on this case until Ms. Allen is brought back to her family,” she said.
It was quite emotional. Sometimes I cry all night long,said Tina Baxter, Allen’s tearful mother.
It’s quite terrifying. The more time she has been there, the more reality is beginning to set in.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings