You just found it unlikely then. They have no authority to make arrests. They have limited authority to detain. They are not authorized to carry weapons or firearms. Their authority to remove someone stopped when the passenger said no. They probably were authorized to board the plane, ask the passenger if he would voluntarily give up his seat and leave the plane. The passenger said no, he would not. That should have ended their involvement in the incident. But it did not. They took it upon themselves to assist him off the airplane. As a result thus far, the three that helped him off the airplane are on suspension waiting to hear if criminal charges will be filed against them, their boss is out of his job, and United Airlines wrote a check with a bunch of zeroes to the right of what was probably a double digit figure. And the doctor will probably be able to tell the changes in the weather for the rest of his life. Who won? In my opinion, only the lawyers. Could it have been prevented? Definitely. There probably were many other passengers that would have gladly accepted the offer made to the doctor, but in the view of the three thugs that thought that they were sworn police officers and later learned that they were not when their superior said to them,”You are suspended until further notice”, the doctor had defied them and had to be taught his place. Three elephants should never engage in a shitting contest. Very little good ever becomes of it.
And who then should have taken it up? If you are postulating "these aren't the guys with the authority", then please answer the question as to where were the guys with the Authority, and why weren't they called?
Are you suggesting "the guys with authority" wouldn't be called? That they wouldn't "assist" Mr. Dao off the plane?
Tell me where you are going with this, because you haven't explained anything.
This is a stupid quibble about whether or not these guys had the authority, and whether they did or didn't, (i'm thinking they did.) someone who did have the authority was going to come along and eject Mr. Dao.
Or do you believe the Airline was just going to say, "Okay, we are just going to do what you want Mr. Dao. We give up! You have the right to control our passenger manifest and flight crew. Sorry we bothered you."