“I have said all along that it was the cops who beat the guy up and dragged him off the plane. United did not do it.”
It appears they were not “cops”. They weren’t even TSA agents.
Here’s the problem with the “United dint do nuffin”. SInce 9/11, if an airline reports you as an “unruly” it green lights actual law enforcement to go into full battle mode. United is aware of it so is fully culpable, especially when the customer is doing nothing illegal.
If the passenger left the aircraft and then returned to his seat as I’ve seen reported, then he probably violated a number of protocols that made him an “unruly” passenger without even knowing it.