Frontier Airlines Passenger Assaults Pregnant Woman and Service Dog
Chaos ensued onboard an airplane when police say a man punched a service dog in its face because his wife was allergic. The man also hit the service dog’s owner, who is deaf and pregnant.
According to police, Timothy Manley was traveling from Colorado Springs, CO with his wife Petrini Manley and son Joshua Manley. Manley’s wife complained about being allergic to dogs as the plane descended and then taxied to a gate at Orlando International Airport. The service dog, an 8-month-old Great Dane named Zariel, then woke up.
Manley then punched the service dog with a closed fist. Zariel yelped, shook his head, and hid near a seat, according to the report. Manley told the police that the service dog “took up more space than [he] felt it deserved.”
The 21-year-old owner, Hazel Ramirez, and her partner, 30-year-old Matt Silva, who is also deaf, tried to confront Manley. Manley got in Silva’s face before punching Ramirez in the stomach and pushing her two daughters to the ground. Ramirez is about 20 weeks pregnant.
Silva tackled Manley and held him down until police arrived. Despite being at fault, Manley continued his obnoxious behavior, telling the police, “It took you all long enough to get here,” according to the report.
Because the incident occurred on an airplane, the investigation will be handled by the FBI, Michelle Guido, Orlando Police Department spokeswoman, told the Orlando Sentinel.
