The woman who was dragged off of a Southwest Airlines flight in Baltimore by police officers last week is accusing the airline of booting her because she is a Muslim woman.
The low-cost carrier made headlines last month when 46-year-old college professor Anila Daulatzai was seen being pushed and pulled down the aisle by Maryland Transportation Authority Police in a now-viral video.
Southwest issued a public apology and cited airline policy for the woman's removal, claiming she informed airline employees that she had a life-threatening pet allergy and requested that two dogs be removed from the flight.
She was ultimately arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, failure to obey a reasonable and lawful order, disturbing the peace, obstructing and hindering a police officer and resisting arrest.
However, Daulatzai tells a much different story.
[CALLOUT]
"Professor Daulatzai was profiled, abused, interrogated, detained, and subjected to false reporting and the trauma of racist, vitriolic public shaming precisely because she is a woman, a person of color, and a Muslim," her lawyers said in a statement on her behalf.
"Her mistreatment was particularly distressing because she is presently pregnant with her first child."
Wednesday's statement also alleges that Daulatzai "suffered physical injuries and mental trauma, required emergency care at a local hospital, including for her pregnancy, and is under continuing medical care."
Daulatzai also claims she never told airline staff that her allergy was life-threatening or that the pets should be removed. She said she never requested an EpiPen and was never asked about a medical certificate.
The statement says Daulatzai eventually settled into a new seat away from the animals.
"Professor Daulatzai buckled her seat belt, turned on the overhead light, and started grading student papers. She was then approached by a series of Southwest representatives and answered every question asked of her," it states. "Despite trying to convince the crew that she would be completely fine on the plane, she was asked by another Southwest representative to leave the plane."
"Shortly thereafter the Maryland Transportation Authority Police pulled her from her seat by her belt loop, dragged her through the aisle exposed with torn pants, and humiliated her for the world to see in a now-viral video."
Despite the disturbing accusations, Southwest's account of the incident hasn't changed.
"Soon after the incident, we publicly apologized to this customer for her experience and made several attempts to contact her directly to address her concerns," the airline said in a statement.
Maryland Transportation Authority Police also issued a statement on the matter: "Despite her clear attempt to resist a law enforcement officer, Ms. Daulatzai was professionally removed from the aircraft within the guidelines of the MDTA Police."
[READMORE]READ MORE: United Avoids Punishment in Dragging Incident[/READMORE]
The incident is particularly polarizing in the wake of April's infamous United Airlines dragging episode, which resulted in a settlement between the airline and passenger David Dao.
Daulatzai's lawyers also claim she has received hate mail since the September 26 incident and has left her home following a break-in attempt.
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