One of the officers who aggressively dragged a passenger from a United Airlines flight has been suspended.
The horrific footage captured by passengers aboard United Express Flight 3411 headed from Chicago to Louisville quickly went viral.
Members of the public couldn't believe that a passenger was being manhandled in such a way for just refusing to leave a flight he'd paid for. At one point during the altercation, the man's mouth hits an arm rest and his mouth starts to pour with blood.
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The airline had overbooked the flight and randomly selected passengers to get off so that they could put four members of their crew on in their place.
One of the passengers said that United offered $400 (£321.96) and then $800 (£643.92) vouchers and a hotel stay for passengers to give up their seats, but no-one volunteered. At this point, people were randomly selected to get off the flight.
The bloke apparently refused, claiming to be a doctor who needed to be in work.
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What happened to 'the customer's always right'?
The incident happened on Sunday night at O'Hare International Airport and the officer in question was reportedly placed on leave on Monday. According to the Chicago Aviation Department, which runs the airport, the officer did not follow standard operating procedures.
Regarding the incident, United Airlines said: "After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate."
Oscar Munoz, the CEO of United Airlines, sent out a memo to staff to explain what happened.
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He's nowhere near as apologetic as you'd expect. In fact, he seems to avoid blame completely.
He writes: "Dear Team, Like you, I was upset to see and hear about what happened last night aboard United Express Flight 3411 headed from Chicago to Louisville. While the facts and circumstances are still evolving, especially with respect to why this customer defied Chicago Aviation Security Officers the way he did, to give you a clearer picture of what transpired, I've included below a recap from the preliminary reports filed by our employees.
"As you will read, this situation was unfortunately compounded when one of the passengers we politely asked to deplane refused and it became necessary to contact Chicago Aviation Security Officers to help. Our employees followed established procedures for dealing with situations like this.
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"While I deeply regret this situation arose, I also emphatically stand behind all of you, and I want to commend you for continuing to go above and beyond to ensure we fly right. I do, however, believe there are lessons we can learn from this experience, and we are taking a close look at the circumstances surrounding this incident.
"Treating our customers and each other with respect and dignity is at the core of who we are, and we must always remember this no matter how challenging the situation.
"Oscar"
He then included copy of the preliminary reports.
Audra Bridges, who witnessed the incident, wrote on Facebook: "Please share this video. We are on this flight. United airlines overbooked the flight. They randomly selected people to kick off so their standby crew could have a seat.
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"This man is a doctor and has to be at the hospital in the morning. He did not want to get off. We are all shaky and so disgusted. #unitedairways"
Her husband, Tyler, added: "We almost felt like we were being taken hostage.
"We were stuck there. You can't do anything as a traveller. You're relying on the airline."
Another video captured the moment the bloodied man held onto a curtain repeatedly saying 'Kill me, kill me, I have to go home'.
He's visibly shaken and distressed. And probably in shock.
The identity of the man is still unknown.
Topics: Doctor, United Airlines
