ORLANDO, Fla. — A deaf woman who is 5 months pregnant says a man punched her in the stomach and hit her service dog during a confrontation on an
airplane as it arrived at a Florida airport.
Hazel Ramirez says she and her partner, Matthew Silvay, were confronted Thursday by Timothy Manley, who objected to their service dog, Zariel, a Great Dane.
Manley says the dog triggered his wife’s allergies as the flight from Colorado Springs to Orlando was making its descent.
An Orlando Police Department report says Manley punched the dog, upsetting Ramirez and Silvay, who yelled at Manley. Ramirez says she was punched during a subsequent physical confrontation with Manley.
Officers took statements and referred the case to the FBI. Ramirez says she plans to press charges.
