Officers Who Dragged David Dao Off United Airlines Flight Are Fired

Two Chicago aviation security officers involved in the highly publicized removal of Dr. David Dao from a United Airlines flight in April have been fired, according to a new report. The officers were seen in the viral video footage dragging Dao down the aisle of the aircraft after he refused to deboard an overbooked flight.

In addition to the dismissal of the two officers, two other officers were given five-day suspensions, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday. Both officers filed grievances, with one suspension reduced to two days, while the other was later withdrawn before the officer resigned.

Dao, 69, was dragged and bloodied during the altercation. After refusing to leave his seat, Dao was forcefully removed and dragged off the plane. He suffered a concussion, a broken nose and two chipped teeth. He also reportedly required surgery for a sinus problem.

The handling of the incident received widespread condemnation and raised questions about passengers' rights in cases that involve overbooked flights.

The disciplinary action was recommended by Inspector General Joe Ferguson in his quarterly report, in which he stated that one officer “escalated a non-threatening situation into a physically violent one by forcefully removing a passenger from the aircraft.” Two other officers were accused of omitting or fabricating information contained in their reports of the incident.

Thomas Demetrio, Dao’s lawyer, issued a statement Tuesday applauding United Airlines for its “acceptance of corporate accountability” but added that it was “not a day of celebration for Dr. Dao, who is neither vindictive nor happy about Mr. Ferguson’s findings.”

“There is a lesson to be learned here for police officers at all levels. Do not state something that is clearly contrary to video viewed by the world,” Demetrio said. “But for the video, the filed report stating that only ‘minimal’ force was used would have been unnoticed. Simply put, don’t make stuff up. Also, the Inspector General’s report should become the poster child for why passengers should always maintain the right to videotape mistreatment of all kinds. Our cellphones are the best deterrent to ensure mistreatment becomes a rarity.”

Dao reached a settlement for an undisclosed amount in April. James Goodnow, an attorney with the Chicago-based Lamber-Goodnow Injury Law Team at Fennemore Craig, told International Business Times at the time that he believed Dao would receive “millions” in the settlement.