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Frontier Airlines passenger punches deaf, pregnant woman and her service dog aboard plane
A pregnant, deaf woman and her Great Dane service dog, the same breed as pictured here, were punched by a man aboard a Frontier Airlines flight after it landed at Orlando International Airport. (dmussman/Getty Images)

Frontier Airlines passenger punches deaf, pregnant woman and her service dog aboard plane

A deaf, pregnant woman and her service dog were punched by a 59-year-old man Friday as a Frontier jet landed in Orlando on Friday, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

What happened?

Police said Timothy Manley was travelling from Colorado Springs, Colo., along with his wife Petrini Manley, 56, and Joshua Manley, 27, all from Gainesville, Florida. The wife complained about being allergic to dogs as the plane descended and then taxied to a gate at Orlando International Airport. The service dog, a Great Dane, then woke up.

Manley then punched the service dog, Zariel. The dog yelped, shook his head, and hid near a seat, according to the report. Manley told police the service dog “took up more space than [he] felt it deserved.”

The 21-year-old woman and her 30-year-old partner, who is also deaf, tried to yell at Manley, the report indicated. Manley then got into the man’s face and punched the woman, who is about 20 weeks pregnant.

Manley continued his obnoxious, entitled behavior, telling police “It took you all long enough to get here,” after two officers arrived, according to the report.

The 30-year-old man tackled Timothy Manley and held him down until police arrived. All people involved in the outburst declined medical treatment, according to the report.

Any criminal charges?

The woman said she plans to prosecute and is willing to testify in court.

Because the altercation happened on a plane, the incident was handed over to the FBI, which is investigating, Michelle Guido, a Orlando Police Department spokeswoman, told the Sentinel.

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, service dogs are defined as animals individually trained to work or perform tasks for someone with a disability. Under the act, emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals are not considered service animals.

Businesses are required to make reasonable accommodations for people with service dogs, the law states.

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