Airport cop is SUSPENDED over United scandal as new video shows bleeding 69-year-old victim mumbling 'kill me' after he was body-slammed and hauled off overbooked flight to make room for airline STAFF

• e-mail

An airport cop who body-slammed a United passenger and dragged him off an overbooked flight was put on leave today - as his bosses condemned his actions amid mounting outrage over video of the incident.

The Chicago Department of Aviation said it 'obviously' did not condone the behavior of the security officer who was filmed slamming the man into an arm rest, knocking him unconscious and dragging him away by his arms as he bled from the mouth at O'Hare.

United is facing growing anger after they selected the 69-year-old man - who claimed to be a doctor - to be bumped from the overbooked flight to Louisville to make room for its staff on Sunday night.

The airline's CEO apologized today even as new video emerged of the man, who had refused to leave the flight, bleeding heavily from the mouth and mumbling about suicide in the aftermath of his brutal treatment.

In the clip, the dazed man chants 'just kill me, just kill me' as blood pours from his mouth. 

It seems to have been filmed after another clip that 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.' 

Do you know the man who was thrown off the flight? Email tips@dailymail.com

Beaten and bloodied: The unnamed passenger is pictured bleeding from the mouth after he was body slammed by cops and dragged off the overbooked United flight at Chicago O'Hare

Screaming: The man who had refused to to give up his seat on the overbooked United flight from Chicago to Louisville on Sunday night was dragged off the plane by three cops

In his apology, United CEO Oscar Munoz said today: 'This is an upsetting event to all of us here at United. 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 aviation department released a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times, which read: 'The incident on United flight 3411 was not in accordance with our standard operating procedure and the actions of the aviation security officer are obviously not condoned by the Department.

'That officer has been placed on leave effective today pending a thorough review of the situation.' 

Aviation department security officers are responsible for policing inside the security cordon at O'Hare.

The Chicago Police department, which operates separately, had earlier risked controversy by claiming that the man 'fell' into the armrest. 

Distressing: Children were crying in distress as the three officers manhandled the man out of his seat. Passengers had been offered $800 to take a flight the next day but none volunteered

Unhinged: The man claimed to be a doctor and screamed wildly and he was manhandled by the cops 

Their statement released on Sunday night said:  'Aviation Officers arrived on scene attempted to carry the individual off of the flight when he fell. His head subsequently struck an armrest causing injuries to his face.'

It claimed that the man had begun yelling his displeasure at being selected to leave and was taken to hospital with non life-threatening injuries. 

Today the department retreated from the statement, referring all enquiries to the Aviation Department.  

The still unidentified victim - who claimed to be a doctor and said he needed to see patients the next morning - was one of four passengers selected by United to leave the 5.40pm flight from O'Hare to Louisville, Kentucky.

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.

The same passenger went on to tell the newspaper a United official walked onto the plane during the incident and said the plane would not be taking off until four passengers disembarked so the employees could fit on.

He said the official announced: 'We have United employees that need to fly to Louisville tonight. … This flight’s not leaving until four people get off.'

'That rubbed some people the wrong way,' Tyler Bridges said, recounting the comment.

United had unsuccessfully appealed for volunteers who were willing to give up their seats for $800, stay in a hotel and fly the next day. The passengers were removed so airline staff could get to Louisville to man a flight the following day.

Broke free: Passenger Tyler Bridges filmed the man apparently returning to the plane a few minutes later, muttering to himself: 'I have to go home'

When the appeal failed, United staff selected four passengers by computer. A manager told passengers that the unlucky four were chosen at random - although many airlines automatically choose passengers with the lowest fares and who were last to check-in to offload.

One couple and another passenger left the plane peacefully, but the Asian man refused.

That's when airport law enforcement was called to remove him man by force.

Apology: United CEO has apologized amid mounting outrage at the video

Passengers screamed 'my god what are you doing' and 'this is wrong' as the man was yanked from his seat. He appeared to go limp after being slammed against a headrest and one passenger said he was 'knocked out'.  

Jayse Anspach told CNN that the man and his wife had initially volunteered when flight attendants called for four people to take a later flight so airline staff could take their seats.

But the 69-year-old had rescinded his offer when he learned that the next flight available was not until 2.30pm on Monday.

When no-one else came forward, the air crew came aboard with four slips of paper with the names and seat numbers of passengers and began informing them they had been chosen to leave the plane.

'They approached his doctor and told him to get off the plane,' he said. 'He refused because he had work the next day. He’s a medical doctor. He was very emphatic, “I can’t be late, I’m a doctor, I’ve got to be there tomorrow.'

Anspach, who said that the whole situation had put him off flying with United in the future, said that he saw the passenger hit his face when staff dragged him off. 

'It was ten minutes later and he came running back on,' he said. 'He runs to the back, his face was bloody, and clung onto the post at the back, saying “I wanna go home, I need to go home.”’

'It wasn’t until 35 to 45 seconds later that the authorities followed him. So I don’t know what happened in the jet way but he managed to escape from them.'

The man was then taken off for a second time, this time on a stretcher, he added.  

Audra Bridges, one passenger who filmed the man's removal, described what happened on the flight to the Courier-Journal. 

She said that passengers were told at the gate that the flight was overbooked and staff appealed for one volunteer to accept $400 and a hotel stay to take a flight at 3pm the next day. 

All the remaining passengers were then allowed to board the flight - only to be told that another four people would have to give up their seats. 

Social media was flooded with outrage from people who had seen the videos, with many threatening to boycott the airline

United said four stand-by staff needed to be in Louisville for a flight the next day and the plane would not take off until they had seats.

Even when the offer was increased to $800, no one volunteered. Louisville is a four-and-a-half hour, 300 mile drive from Chicago. 

At this point, Bridges said a manager came onboard the flight and said four 'volunteers' would be randomly selected by computer.

After a couple was picked and left the plane peacefully, then man was selected and refused to leave the flight. 

Outrage about the shocking incident continued to grow throughout the day as more and more people saw the videos 

Staff told him security would be called if he refused to leave, and the distressed man then claimed he was a doctor who needed to be in Louisville the next morning and he threatened to call his lawyer. 

Three men Chicago police boarded the flight to remove the man - who still refused to budge.

'United is proud to announce the new club class - fight club!' Twitter trolls airline with hundreds of hilarious memes

United Airlines is being trolled with hundreds of hilarious memes after a shocking video emerged shocking a bruised and bloody passenger who was hauled off a flight to make room for staff.

Twitter has been flooded with tweets mocking the airline, which apologized for 'having to re-accommodate' a 69-year-old man - who claimed to be a doctor - who was dragged off an overbooked flight to Louisville on Sunday night.

Many took aim at the overzealous removal which left the passenger, who has not yet been named, with blood pouring down his face.

 

United Airlines is being trolled with hundreds of hilarious memes after a passenger was hauled off a flight to make room for staff

'United is proud to announce the new club class! Fight Club!' one user tweeted along with a seating map of a United flight.

Others imagined United staff as anything from WWE wrestlers and football players, to an armed SWAT team, as they 're-accomodated' an elderly passenger.

Others mentioned Pepsi must be sighing with relief today after Airlines decided to take some heat off their 'tone deaf' ad with a PR nightmare of their own.

'Pepsi: We have made the biggest PR disaster of any major company this year or any other year...

 

Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas joined in by mocking the airline's statement on Twitter, posting a photograph of himself 're-accommodating' an opponent during an NFL game

'United: Hold my beer...' one Twitter user wrote.

Many mocked the airline's unusual definition of the word 'volunteer.' 

'United selecting their tribute- er, volunteer, for overbooking a flight. #flight3411' one person wrote alongside pictures from The Hunger Games.

Another tweeted a picture of United's 'new motto': 'Volunteering is mandatory. Thank you for your cooperation.'

Advertisement

At this point the officers yanked him out his seat as he screamed wildly - the episode seen in the video. 

As the man, his glasses falling off his face and his clothes in disarray, is dragged out other passengers cried out in disgust: 'Come on!' '

But this was not the end of the drama. After being removed, the man apparently broke free from the officers grasp and managed to run back on the flight. He was filmed running down the aisle chanting 'I need to go home, I need to go home.' 

Bridges said he reappeared on the plane with a bloody face and seemed 'disorientated'. Passengers were then taken off the flight as a medical crew boarded. 

It took off later on Sunday night and landed two hours late.  

Other footage of the incident was uploaded onto Twitter by Jayse Anspach, from Kentucky, who later deleted it and several tweets criticizing the airline. 

It is the second PR disaster for the airline in as many months. In March, the airline faced outrage after a teenage girl was banned from flying for wearing leggings. Although it eventually transpired that the teen was with a airline staff member flying for free and was subject to a dress code. 

Earlier the airline had stood by their actions. 

An earlier statement said: 'Flight 3411 from Chicago to Louisville was overbooked. After our team looked for volunteers, one customer refused to leave the aircraft voluntarily and law enforcement was asked to come to the gate. We apologize for the overbook situation.'

Airline spokesman Charlie Hobart added: 'We followed the right procedures. That plane had to depart. 

'We wanted to get our customers to their destinations, and when one gentleman refused to get off the aircraft, we had to call the Chicago Police Department.' 

The airline's contract of carriage states that passengers to be forcibly taken off a flight in the event of overbooking will be 'determined based on a passenger’s fare class, itinerary, status of frequent flyer program membership, and the time in which the passenger presents him/herself for check-in without advanced seat assignment.' 

Another passenger, Tyler Bridges, also gave an account of the flight. He said on Twitter: 'Not a good way to treat a Doctor trying to get to work because they overbooked 

'United Flight 3411 from ORD to SDF, the man was forcibly removed because the flight was overbooked and united crew needed to get to SDF

'Kids were crying people are disturbed. Also after being removed the bloodied man somehow ran back on the plane repeating-I have to get home

'I'm not sure, he told the police and the united employees he had to be at the hospital in the morning to see patients'.

Jayse Anspach was also on the flight. She said: 'United overbooked and wanted 4 of us to volunteer to give up our seats for personnel that needed to be at work the next day. 

'No one volunteered, so decided to choose for us. They chose an Asian doctor and his wife.

'The doctor needed to work at the hospital the next day, so he refused to "volunteer." decided to use force on doctor.

'A couple of  airport security men forcefully pulled the doctor out of his chair and to the floor of the aisle. 

'In so doing, the doctor's face was slammed against an arm rest, causing serious bleeding from his mouth. 

'It looked like he was knocked out, because he went limp and quiet and they dragged him out of the plane like a rag doll.

'Ten mins later, the doctor runs back into the plane with a bloody face, clings to a post in the back, chanting, "I need to go home." 

Every year around 50,000 people with valid plane tickets are bumped off flights because they have been overbooked.