ORLANDO — A Florida man is accused of punching a deaf pregnant woman in a dispute over her service dog on a recent flight from Colorado Springs.
Mathew Silvay and Hazel Ramirez, of Colorado Springs, traveled to Orlando aboard Frontier flight 1752 on Thursday.
Ramirez is 20 weeks pregnant. The couple is deaf and traveled with their service dog, a Great Dane named Zariel.
Timothy and Petrini Manley and their son were on the same flight. As they descended into Orlando, Petrini Manley complained that she was allergic to dogs, Orlando police said.
When the plane landed, Zariel woke up and stood up. The animal took up more space than Timothy Manley thought it deserved, and he punched the dog with a closed fist, according to a report from Orlando police. Zariel shook her head and went under a seat the report said.
Silvay and Ramirez became very upset and began yelling Orlando police said. Timothy Manley reacted by getting in Silvay's face. At some point, Timothy Manley punched Ramirez in the stomach, police said.
Both couples gave statements to police. Ramirez indicated that she wished to press charges.
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