An Asian male passenger on an overbooked United flight at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport was ripped out of his seat by uniformed officers and dragged down the aisle on his back like luggage, as several horrified passengers captured footage of his bloodied face on their phones. The incident sparked a huge outcry online.
According to witnesses, United offered $800 compensation and asked for four volunteers to take another flight the next day to make room for airline staff members after all passengers boarded. When the appeal failed, United staff selected four passengers by computer and the man who was later brutally treated refused to leave as he said he was a doctor and he “needed to work at the hospital the next day".
The video taken by fellow passenger shows that the man was screaming and kicking his feet when he was ripped off his seat. He was seen bleeding from his mouth and unconscious after having his head slammed against an armrest. One passenger also told the Washington Post the man claimed as he was being dragged off the plane he was chosen because he was Chinese. 'He said, more or less, 'I'm being selected because I’m Chinese",' the passenger told the Post.
More videos and photos were posted on social media, where horrified passengers expressed their anger.
Another clip posted on social media shows the victim somehow broke free from the airport cops and ran back onto the plane chanting 'I need to go home, I need to go home.'
The airline's CEO apologized for the incident on April 10 amid mounting outrage over the video. He said the airline was reaching out to the passenger to "further address and resolve this situation.” The Chicago Department of Aviation released statement saying one security officer was put on leave on Monday.
