Chicago Cop Put On Leave For Dragging Asian Man Off United Flight
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By Amber Randall
The Chicago officer who dragged an Asian man off the United Airlines flight Sunday has been placed on leave, the police department announced.
The department placed the officer on paid leave because his actions did not meet “standard operating procedure,” reports the Chicago Sun-Times.
“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,” aviation department spokeswoman Karen Pride said. “That officer has been placed on leave effective today pending a thorough review of the situation.”
The officer helped drag an Asian doctor off the Sunday United flight after the airline announced that some passengers needed to leave to accommodate for United Airlines crew members. The Asian man refused to leave, saying he needed to say on the flight because he had patients to attend to.
Video of the incident showed officers forcibly dragging the man off the flight, despite pleas from other passengers to stop. The Asian man, bleeding profusely, begged them to “just kill me,” video shows.
The United Airlines CEO apologized for having to “re-accomodate the cusomers” and said the company would be looking into the matter.
The Department of Transportation is also looking into the situation to make sure the airlines followed the consumer protection regulations.
“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,” the department stated.
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