Marcel Beaulien, better known to his fans as DJ Tyrion, was wrapping up after spinning a two hour psytrance set at a small party on Friday when four unknown assailants attacked him.

"I was heading out the back door when some weirdo wearing a zebra patterned hoodie walked up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, then punched me in the face," says Marcel. "I fell to the ground, and that's when some of his friends held me down while the zebra guy cut off my dreads." The musical maverick was devastated by the attack. "They stole my hair, man. They cut it off, put it in a small plastic bag, and ran away. That's not cool at all. It's like they took a part of my soul away from me. I feel so naked without my dreadlocks."

Marcel isn't the first person to be hit by the dreaded dreadlocks bandits. "We've seen a massive spike in hair related crimes this winter," says Sgt. Batista of the SPVM. "We believe that a group of teenagers is prowling Montreal's clubs targeting people who have dreads. They're armed, they're dangerous, and they need to be stopped."

Hair salon owner Rufus DesLaurier isn't surprised by the attack. "Montreal is home to a thriving black-market for dreadlocks," says Rufus. "Dreadlocks can be very expensive, so it's only natural that people have started stealing them. Some dreadlocks can go for hundreds of dollars, or as much as an iPad. No one's surprised to hear about iPads being stolen, but dreads aren't cheap either."

Police are warning dreadlock owners to wear hats and to remain vigilant in public. "If your hair is valuable, realize that there are criminals out there who are going to come after you. Protect your head," says Sgt. Batista. "You can never be too careful. It's a scary world out there."