Police documents released Monday say United dragging victim David Dao was violent before being forcibly removed from a flight in Chicago on April 9.
The Chicago Aviation Police reports were released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests by the Los Angeles Times and other news organizations.
In the reports, Officer James Long said Dao knocked Long’s arm while he was being pulled from his seat, which caused some of his injuries, USA Today reported.
Two of the four officers involved added introductory statements to their reports that said the statements weren’t voluntary, but were given under threat of losing their jobs, USA Today reported.
All four officers who removed Dao were placed on administrative leave following the incident.
The police reports, which claimed Dao was verbally abusive and fought back against officers attempting to remove him, appeared to be at odds with videos taken by passengers on the flight, some of which have been widely circulated on social media and viewed many millions of times.
Dao received a concussion, broke his nose, knocked out two teeth, and received other facial injuries that will require him to have reconstructive facial surgery, according to his personal injury lawyer, Thomas Demetrio, The New York Times reported. Demetrio also said Dao will be filing a lawsuit against United for his treatment on the flight and called the police reports “utter nonsense.”
United Airlines has apologized repeatedly for Dao’s treatment and said they are reviewing procedures for passenger removal. The airline also has said it will no longer use police to remove passengers.
Twitter users commented on the differences between the reports and videos taken of the incident.
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