Aviation Officer: 'Minimal But Necessary Force' Wielded On Dragged United Passenger

By Stephen Gossett in News on Apr 25, 2017 3:20PM

One of the aviation officers involved in the infamous, violent removal of United airlines passenger Dr. David Dao characterized the force applied as "minimal but necessary" in an incident report that was made public on Monday by the city of Chicago, following a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the AP.

Dao, a 69-year-old Kentucky doctor, refused to give up his seat on the fully booked Flight 3411 for airline staff, saying that he had patients to treat the next day. Triggering an international public-relations fiasco (and highly likely litigation), Dao was then violently dragged down the aisle and removed from the plane. In addition to victim-blaming character attacks following the ordeal, Dao suffered a broken nose and concussion and lost two front teeth, according to his lawyer, Thomas Demetrio. United at first compounded the flap with an initial quasi-apology and a letter to employees that called Dao "disruptive and belligerent." Three officers were placed on leave by the Chicago Department of Aviation pending a review.

In the recently released report, published by the Tribune, aviation officers draw a not-dissimilar characterization. Officer Mauricio Rodriguez said he and other responding officers asked Dao to leave the plane. They "tried to persuade Mr. Dao to leave in a calm manner," they said. According to the report, Dao said, "I'm not leaving this flight that I paid money for. I don't care if I get arrested."

In aviation officers' version of events, Dao then "started swinging his arms up and down fast and violently" after an officer, identified as James Long, attempted to pull Dao from his seat. Long's grip failed as Dao swung—which is when Dao's face plunged into the armrest, Rodriguez said in the report. That's when the "minimal but necessary force" was applied to pull Dao down the aisle. He then ran back onto the plane, the report states, which is when he repeated the infamous "just kill me" lines.

Not surprisingly, Dao's attorney wasn't buying it. A Demetrio spokesperson said that the aviation officers' rendering of the events was "utter nonsense." "Consider the source," she added. In an appearance on The Today Show on Monday morning, Demetrio said that Dao plans to sue, although it's not confirmed whether the lawsuit(s) will target both United and the City of Chicago.