American Influencer Arrested in Dubai for Shouting in Public

A Texas woman is trapped in the United Arab Emirates after she was charged with screaming in public, according to her mother and the leader of an international nonprofit organization trying to get her out.

Tierra Young Allen, 29, got into a verbal altercation with a rental car employee in Dubai who told her she had to pay an additional amount of money to retrieve her ID and credit card, her mother Tina Baxter told Fox 26 Houston.

"She found out she could only receive those items if she paid an undisclosed amount of money,” Baxter said. “She dealt with a very aggressive individual, a young man there who was screaming at her." 

Baxter told the outlet that she screamed back at the employee, who filed a police report that led to her arrest on May 16. 

Allen is a truck driver who has large social media followings on Instagram and TikTok. On social media, she goes by the Sassy Trucker and frequently posts videos of her working on her truck and driving on the road.

UAE authorities are now investigating the incident, and Allen has been placed on a travel ban while it’s pending. After her arrest, she was released on bail but UAE government officials are holding onto her passport, preventing her from leaving the country. 

"It’s very frightening. The longer she’s been there the more reality has started to kick in," Baxter said, adding that her daughter could potentially face prison time.

Radha Stirling, CEO and founder of nonprofit Detained in Dubai, told CBS News that her organization is working to get Allen out. 

"She was told at the police station (Bur Dubai) that she has been accused of 'shouting,' which under the UAE's laws is illegal under 'offensive behavior,' which is an unclear and subjective regulation, but warrants up to two years in prison, a fine and deportation," Stirling said. 

The rental car employee has since fled the country, according to Stirling. 

"It’s been very emotional. There are some days I stay up all night crying," Baxter said.

The State Department in a statement to The Messenger said the agency is monitoring her case closely. 

"The Department remains in regular communication with her and her family," the spokesperson said.