Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images(CHICAGO) — A security officer has been put on leave after video showing a man being forcibly removed from a United Airlines flight in Chicago sparked a firestorm online.
The passenger is heard screaming as he’s pulled out of his seat and dragged down the aisle bloodied and by his arms.
“Oh my god, look at what you did to him!” one United passenger exclaimed at police.
According to Audra Bridges, who posted the video on Facebook Sunday night, the man pulled off the Louisville, Kentucky-bound United flight was a doctor that had to be at a hospital in the morning.
“We are all shaky and so disgusted,” she said in the post.
United initially stated that the flight was “overbooked,” but has since said it was a crew-positioning issue. The airline asked for four volunteers to give up their seats because they needed a four-person Republic Airways crew to get to Louisville. When there were no volunteers, United’s system randomly selected four passengers to be bumped from the flight.
According to United, they explained the situation to passengers and how they would be reaccomodated. But when one of the passengers refused to comply, police were called in.
“This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United,” United CEO Oscar Munoz said in a statement. “I apologize for having to re-accommodate these customers. Our team is moving with a sense of urgency to work with the authorities and conduct our own detailed review of what happened. We are also reaching out to this passenger to talk directly to him and further address and resolve this situation.”
The Chicago Department of Aviation said in a statement the officer involved was placed on leave and the incident “was not in accordance with our standard operating procedure and the actions of the aviation security officer are obviously not condoned by the Department.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation said it is also investigating the incident.
The Department of Transportation (USDOT) remains committed to protecting the rights of consumers and is reviewing the involuntary denied boarding of passenger(s) from United Express flight 3411 to determine whether the airline complied with the oversales rule,” a DOT spokesperson said in a statement. “The Department is responsible for ensuring that airlines comply with the Department’s consumer protection regulations including its oversales rule. While it is legal for airlines to involuntary bump passengers from an oversold flight when there are not enough volunteers, it is the airline’s responsibility to determine its own fair boarding priorities.”
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