Actually, in this instance Newsweek merely reprinted an article that appeared on a law site here.
I know the tendency among conservatives is to support police, but it is my understanding these were one security officer and two airport cops. There is no question they used excessive force.
Also, some people want to use Dao's past brushes with the law as a reason to say he deserved what he got. Sorry, that doesn't wash. The incident on that plane had zero to do with anything in Dao's past. From all accounts, he was peacefully seated and minding his own business when asked to voluntarily leave. He refused and instead of looking for another means to solve the airline's problem, the airline personnel decided to bully and force this guy off the plane.
There is a reason this has been such a PR nightmare for the airline. Most people see what happened and know that what the airline did both during the incident and after with the CEO's boneheaded comments.
It was 2 non-cops, and one non-cop who was wearing a police uniform or badge, according to one article.