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Man acquitted in bad haircut spat

A Wood Dale man who pointed a BB gun at a barber after a “disappointing” haircut was acquitted Monday of assault and gun charges.

There was no proof Anthony Oplinger, 19, knowingly and unlawfully used a BB gun when he pointed it at a Bensenville barber, Judge Thomas Else ruled following a bench trial.

The judge said Oplinger could “easily tell this is a BB gun.”

Barber David Capales testified that about 5 p.m. on Nov. 12, 2013 he was napping in a rear break room of the Barber Lounge, 453 West Irving Park Road in Bensenville, when a customer from earlier in the day woke him up by showing him a gun.

Prosecutors said Oplinger of Wood Dale was a weekly customer for about two years. When he came in for a trim on this day, Capales said he told Oplinger his normal stylist was unavailable and offered to do a trim.

“Throughout the haircut he was telling me how to do my job and how I could change a natural hairline,” Capales said. “Afterward he told me he was displeased with my services and I offered him a refund.”

Capales said a few hours later, Oplinger, dressed in a dark hoodie, sat in a chair facing him with his hand clutching a gun in his lap.

“I was groggy but as I woke up, he said, 'What's up bro?'” Capales said. “He was angry.”

Capales said another barber entered the break room after several minutes of hearing their heated discussion and told them to “take it outside.”

Once outside, Capales said, he was able to calm Oplinger down and persuade him to leave.

The shop owner later called police and gave them Oplinger's name, leading to his arrest.

Capales said he felt “nervous, defenseless and intimidated” by the situation.

Police: Man pulls BB gun on barber

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